WASHINGTON: The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank approved US$50 million for the Transport Infrastructure Investment Project (TIIP) in Fiji.
It is the first major World Bank investment in the country since 1992. It also is the first investment initiated under the new World Bank Group Country Engagement Note for Fiji. The TIIP project will improve the resilience and safety of land and maritime transport infrastructure, including roads, bridges and rural jetties and wharves – all essential to the daily lives of Fijians. It will reduce a backlog of urgent repairs caused by the deferral of maintenance since 2012.
Franz Drees-Gross, the World Bank country director in Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands, said, “For many Fijians, access to reliable and safe roads, wharves, and jetties is essential to inclusive economic growth and social development because it facilitates access to employment, education, health care, and other services. The World Bank looks forward to partnering with the government of Fiji to deliver vital improvements to the transport infrastructure.”
The ADB will undertake additional parallel work to build government capacity in the transport sector, such as improving planning and project assessment skills for staff in the Fiji Roads Authority and other ministries and agencies.
