The Government of Tajikistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed two grants for a total of 93.2 million US dollars to help Tajikistan mitigate the adverse economic and social impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and rehabilitate a road from Oqmazor to Bokhtar in the Khatlon province.
Press release issued by the ADB Tajikistan Resident Mission (TJRM) says Tajikistan Minister of Finance Fayziddin Qahhorzoda and ADB Country Director in Tajikistan Shanny Campbell signed the two grant agreements in Dushanbe on November 5.
The US$50 million ADB’s Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures (BRACE) grant program will help finance the government’s anti-crisis action plan, which aims to expand social assistance for poor and vulnerable people, support domestic food production, safeguard small businesses, and support employment for returning migrants.
The effect of the program will be: adverse socioeconomic effects of the shocks mitigated, and resilience of poor and vulnerable groups enhanced. The program will contribute to the government's efforts to contain inflation within reasonable limits through fiscal interventions. It targets the provision of social assistance and protection until March 2023 to ensure that more than 500,000 poor and vulnerable households (of whom at least 40% are headed by women) benefit from at least one economic assistance program under the government's Anti-Crisis Action Plan, and therefore
The US$43.2 million road sustainability grant will rehabilitate a 40-kilometer section of road from Oqmazor to Bokhtar in the Khatlon province.
The design incorporates climate-resilient features to protect the road from potential extreme weather and renders it accessible year-round. It also includes safety features to improve road users’ safety and comfort. The project will also support the development of the road asset management system, and enhance women’s access to social and economic activities.