World Bank offers Afghanistan $691mn for support

The World Bank provided a grant of $691 million to Afghanistan to support its efforts in reviving economy and improving access to quality healthcare, the Afghan Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

The new financing will help modernize state-owned banks, expand regional telecommunication connectivity, electronic-government services and create enabling environment for private sector investment, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Improving the quality of health services, strengthening the banking infrastructure and digitising government systems will enhance our ability to deliver better and quality services to our people," said Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi.

"This contribution demonstrates the continued commitment and support of international community helping the government of Afghanistan implement priority reforms for sustainable development," he said.

Afghanistan is implementing an ambitious reform programme in a context of strong budget pressures imposed by low domestic revenue, massive security spending and enormous development needs, said Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank country Director for Afghanistan.

"In this challenging environment, we remain committed to helping the government of Afghanistan in further improving the service delivery to the Afghan people," he said.

--IANS

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