The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved three projects totalling $658.8 million in Pakistan, which would allow the country to achieve its goal of more inclusive and sustainable growth and development.
As per a statement released by the ADB on Wednesday, the three projects will focus on improving domestic resource mobilization; rehabilitating schools damaged by the devastating August 2022 floods; and enhancing agricultural productivity to improve food security.
“This significant new wave of financing will help Pakistan recover from the impacts of last year’s cost-of-living crisis and super-floods and return to the path of long-term development that is sustainable and inclusive,” said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov.
“This multifaceted approach is part of ADB’s strategic engagement in Pakistan and cohesively deploys our program lending and project investments to enhance support for Pakistan’s efforts to improve its economic situation and enhance the quality of life for its people.”
The Improved Resource Mobilisation and Utilization Reform Program will support the government to realize its ambition of achieving economic growth that is sustainable, broad-based, and inclusive.
The $300-million policy-based loan will support the initiative’s first subprogram, which focuses on laying the foundation for reforms to policies, laws, and institutional capacity that will improve domestic resource mobilization and utilization.
“The program is helping to transform tax administration, public expenditure management, and other institutional structures to strengthen resource mobilization including non-debt resources such as private investment and savings,” read the statement.
ADB said that the ongoing Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project will receive additional financing—a $275 million emergency assistance loan that is part of ADB’s $1.5 billion pledge of support for Pakistan’s recovery from the devastating 2022 floods.
“The additional financing will help reconstruct up to 1,600 flood-damaged schools using disaster- and climate-resilient and gender-responsive designs.
“This will boost resilience and inclusivity in the education system in Pakistan, helping the recovery of learning and earning losses especially for girls in the most disadvantaged and vulnerable districts of Sindh,” the lender said.
The multinational financier will also provide a $800,000 technical assistance grant to help plan and monitor the status of reconstruction in all flood-damaged schools and provide implementation support, including for introducing inclusive design features.
Moreover, a concessional loan of $80 million for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Security Support Project, which is also part of ADB’s $1.5 billion pledge of support for Pakistan’s recovery from the 2022 floods, will help address climate vulnerabilities, enhance food security, and boost the livelihoods of rural farm households in the most flood-damaged districts in the province.
“The project will provide essential agriculture inputs and training to smallholder farmers, including women, and improve household nutrition and women’s empowerment. It will also enhance digital access and availability, especially with regard to market opportunities and climate information,” it added.
Lastly, ADB will administer a $3 million grant for the project from the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific that will finance activities for women farmers related to seed cleaning and the safer handling of agrochemicals.
Last week, ADB approved a $180 million loan to improve water supply and solid waste management services in two rapidly growing cities in Punjab.
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