Tajikistan to strengthen transport sector with OFID loan

Vienna, Austria, October 30, 2012.

OFID Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, and HE Sohibov Shavkat K., Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan, have signed a US$14 million loan agreement for the Carec Corridor 6 (Ayni-Uzbekistan Border Road) Improvement Project.

The project will rehabilitate and reconstruct a road located between Ayni-Panjakent and the Uzbek border, an isolated and remote area with high poverty levels. An estimated 343,000 people will benefit from enhanced access to marketplaces and social amenities, in addition to safer travel.

OFID and Tajikistan have been partners in development since 1997, when a public sector loan was approved to help finance rehabilitation of two cardiovascular centers in the capital Dushanbe. Subsequent loans have supported the country's education, energy and transportation sectors.