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ADB develops Partnership Strategy for Uzbekistan

13 February 2019 20:13 (UTC+04:00)
ADB develops Partnership Strategy for Uzbekistan

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

ADB support in Uzbekistan is consistent with the country's national development priorities, guiding its desire to achieve industrial modernization and infrastructure development.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is developing a partnership strategy for Uzbekistan for 2019-2023 in order to support the country's transition to a dynamic market economy with a concomitant transformation of the state's role in the economy, Uzbek media reports.

Werner Lipak, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia, visited Uzbekistan from February 7 to 11.

He met with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Jamshid Kuchkarov, Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiyev, Minister for Investment and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov and Energy Minister Alisher Sultanov.

During the meetings with government officials, Lipak highly appreciated the progress of current reforms and assured ADB of further support for government priorities.

He noted the role of ADB as the largest development partner of Uzbekistan, which aims to further strengthen cooperation in the field of public-private partnership, energy, transport, agriculture and improve the public procurement system.

Lipak welcomed the creation of a new agency on public-private partnership in Uzbekistan and noted the continued support of ADB to the newly created and existing institutions.

He also discussed the ADB priority projects in Uzbekistan in 2019, the partnership strategy being developed, and the implementation of ongoing projects and programs.

Key areas of the strategy will be reforms in private sector development, equal development of regions, regional cooperation and integration.

ADB plans to mobilize more than $ one billion annually over the next three years to improve water supply and sanitation, transport infrastructure, and the generation and distribution of electricity.

In addition, funds will be directed to providing jobs for young people, creating jobs in rural areas, as well as expanding access to modern health care and supporting government reforms in economic management, as well as increasing social protection.

During the visit, Lipak visited ADB-financed projects in the Jizzakh and Tashkent regions and met with the beneficiaries of the project, which received funding for affordable housing and fruit and vegetable development through ADB credit lines through commercial banks.

He said that the affordable housing project has helped many families with moderate incomes improve their living conditions, and also served as a catalyst for job creation and private sector development.

According to an ADB representative, fruit and vegetable producers, along with access to long-term financial resources, were able to improve their entrepreneurial skills, access market and technology information, and have a steady income for themselves, their staff and suppliers.

Lipak also got acquainted with the automated system of electricity metering and control in Jizzakh, where he visited the regional data processing center and assessed the current work on installing meters.

As part of this project, ADB plans to eliminate commercial losses and improve energy efficiency by introducing new accurate digital meters for more than one million consumers in Bukhara, Jizzakh and Samarkand.

Since joining ADB in 1995, Uzbekistan has received 70 loans totaling $ 7.4 billion, including two private sector loans totaling $ 225 million.

ADB also provided $ 6 million in equity investments, $ 218 million in guarantees, and $ 87.3 million in technical assistance grants.

ADB signed five loans totaling $ 1.1 billion in 2018, to improve energy efficiency, improve primary health care services, access to finance for farmers and fruit and vegetable producers, and access to drinking water in western Uzbekistan.

The Asian Development Bank was conceived in the early 1960s as a financial institution that would be Asian in character and foster economic growth and cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world.

ADB assists its members, and partners, by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.

The Bank is composed of 67 members, 48 of which are from the Asia and Pacific region.

In 2018, ADB committed four loans totaling $993 million to improve power generation efficiency, improve primary healthcare services, support horticulture-related farmers and businesses for fixed asset investments, and support ongoing reforms through better economic management in Uzbekistan.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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