Asian Bank to give $40 million for uplift work in Fata

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $ 40 million for the rural development of Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber agencies of Fata.
In order to prepare that project, the ADB has approved an advisory technical assistance grant of $ 0.465 million to help Pakistan strengthen the institutional and organisational capacity of key government departments, agencies and community based organisations. This project is proposed to be approved in 2004.
Development in Fata significantly lags behind the adjoining settled districts of the North West Frontier Province and the country as a whole. Government estimates show that as much as 60 percent of Fata households are below the poverty line.
The region has a literacy rate of 17.4 percent and primary school participation rate of 41.3 percent.
Only 44 percent of the population has access to clean drinking water, as compared to 75 percent for the adjoining areas of NWFP.
The technical assistance will develop and facilitate among Fata officials and other stakeholders' relevant skills, knowledge and attitudes to facilitate effective rural development.
A particular focus would be on strengthening the capabilities of the line agencies working in Fata to plan, design, manage, monitor and evaluate rural development projects.
This includes agency and secretarial based staff. The departments and line agencies involved include planning and development, finance, livestock and dairy development, agriculture extension, local government and rural development, forestry, and works and services.
Explaining some of the activities proposed to be undertaken under the technical assistance, Marshuk Ali Shah, country director for the ADB, stated that key staff would be trained in planning and monitoring, financial management and budgeting, farm management with the ADB procedures, etc.
The departmental needs in information and communication technology would also be met. Training would be undertaken through participatory workshops and classroom training.
The total cost of the technical assistance is estimated at $ 0.665 million and the ADB will provide $ 0.465 million to finance, on grant basis, the entire foreign exchange cost and part of the local currency costs.
The governor's secretariat, Fata, will be the executing agency for the assistance and will be responsible for overall co-ordination with the ADB. The assistance will be implemented over 18 months, commencing in April 2004 and ending in September 2005.