WB grants $55m for skills development project

KABUL Bank has approved a $55 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) to assist Afghan youth to advance their skills and competencies.

Approved on Tuesday, the Afghanistan – Second Skills Development Project (ASDP II) focuses on building systems and institutions in the formal sector to impart technical and vocational skills in diverse job streams.  

A statement from the bank said the Ministry of Education (MoE) would implement the project that follows an earlier scheme supporting formal and non-formal interventions since 2008.

With this new financing, the World Bank has provided a total grant of $93 million, including from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The government is contributing $5 million and further support to the non-formal sector is being proposed under a separate project. The National Institute of Management and Administration (NIMA) has been created, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) revitalised and the Blind School in Kabul supported under ASDP.

Robert Saum, World Bank country director, said of the project: “Jobs and Skills are central to Afghanistan’s successful economic transition and building a productive workforce.”

Saum praised the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education for continuing to give priority to skills development and job creation. “If past achievements are an indication, then this new support working in tandem with other projects, will continue to be at the forefront in building a skilled workforce,” he noted.

pr/mud

Views: 1