“Investing in human capital is of the highest priority for the World Bank in Tajikistan,” Anna Bjerde, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, said at a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon last Tuesday in Dushanbe.
She said that three new projects are expected to be funded this year, focusing on education, health and social protection.
“To help the country build a more inclusive and sustainable economy,” she said.
The meeting was also attended by Regional Director for Central Asia Tatyana Proskuryakova, Regional Director for Infrastructure Charles Cormier and Head of Representative Office in Tajikistan Ozan Sevimli, according to the official website of the World Bank.
Photo: press service of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan
In addition to meeting with the President of Tajikistan, members of the government, Bjerde, together with the Minister of Finance of the Republic, Faiziddin Kakhhorzoda, visited the Vose district of the Khatlon region, where they launched a new water supply system, rehabilitated with the support of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation project.
This project, funded by a $58 million grant from the International Development Association (a member of the World Bank Group), aims to improve water supply and sanitation in the southern districts of Khatlon Oblast.
In Dangara, the delegation visited the Khatlon State Medical University, which is one of the 26 higher education institutions in Tajikistan receiving support under the Higher Education Project funded by the World Bank.
The World Bank is currently funding 25 projects in Tajikistan for a total of about $1.6 billion. Overall, since 1996, the World Bank has provided more than $2.7 billion in IDA grants, concessional loans, and trust funds to Tajikistan.