LAHORE: Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Ying Ming Yang has appreciated Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision and pace of public service delivery in Punjab, with the provincial government and the development bank agreeing to expand cooperation in clean drinking water, agriculture, technical skills, health and education.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between the chief minister and the ADB vice president.
The CM Punjab welcomed Ying Ming Yang and thanked him for his visit, while the ADB vice president expressed appreciation for the warm hospitality.
The meeting discussed ADB support for cardiac, children’s and cancer hospitals in Punjab. The chief minister also thanked the bank for organising the Punjab Agri-Food Investment Forum. The two sides also discussed nursing education, establishment of STEM labs in schools and three concessional loan agreements to help farmers purchase agricultural machinery.
The CM Punjab said all projects in Punjab were progressing rapidly and that another 2,000 electric buses, with ADB support, would be operating on the province’s roads by next year. “Health projects are among our priorities and will be completed soon to facilitate the people,” she said.
The chief minister described the Punjab Economic Transformation Plan as a game changer for agricultural improvement and economic growth. She said the provincial government was focusing on increasing cultivation of oilseeds, pulses and fruits, besides improving agricultural financing and cold-chain facilities. “Punjab is Pakistan’s food basket and, with its growing workforce, is also emerging as a hub of industrial development,” she said.
The chief minister said the provincial government wanted to further strengthen Pakistan’s strong and long-term partnership with the ADB. She said the government was pursuing a broad reform agenda focused on good governance, improved service delivery, economic recovery and growth.
Under the Punjab Investment and Value-Oriented Transformation (PIVOT) initiative, she said, the government was working to promote value addition, exports, skills development and private-sector investment in the province.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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