President Ghani inaugurates road project funded by ADB in Parwan

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani has inaugurated the first phase of a 51-kilometer road section connecting Jabul Saraj to Nijrab road in central Parwan province.

President Ghani, minister of public works Yama Yari, senior government officials and local authorities were present in the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday.

The project is financed from a $222 million grant from Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Transport Network Development Investment Program. ADB’s investment program supports the reconstruction of a total of 145 km of national and regional highways.

“ADB is proud to be Afghanistan’s largest development partner in transport sector development,” said ADB director for Afghanistan Samuel Tumiwa.

The project will improve domestic and regional connectivity while widening access to social and economic opportunities.

Afghanistan is a founding member of ADB, and, to date, it has received over $4.7 billion in grants and loans. ADB was one of the first organizations to respond to the need to repair Afghanistan’s transport system, which had been destroyed by years of war.

Since 2002, ADB has provided $2.2 billion for 17 key road projects to construct or upgrade over 1,700 km of regional and national roads across Afghanistan.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.

Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2017, ADB operations totaled $32.2 billion, including $11.9 billion in co-financing.

Pr/sa

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