KABUL: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided 130 million dollars aid to Afghanistan for developing its transportation system, including the construction of new railway lines and a 108 km road in northern Badakhshan province, The Ministry of Finance (MoF) announced.
According to newly appointed Minister of Finance, Eklil Hakimi, the Afghan government will also be allocating 16 million USD from its own budget for the initiative.
The ADB money has been offered as a grant. “The money will be allocated for the development of the transportation sector in the country, because Afghanistan faces major problems in the transportation sector,” Minister Hakimi said on Tuesday.
The head of ADB’s Afghanistan Resident Mission, Thomas Robert Panella, affirmed the development bank’s commitment to Afghanistan and thanked its Afghan partners in the project. “I’d like to thank the Afghan railway authority, who ADB has played an instrumental role in developing both the infrastructure and institutionally.”
Acting Minister of Public Works Noor Gul Mangal welcomed the news of the funding, saying with the allocation, “Afghanistan’s transportation issues will be resolved.”
