World Bank aid to focus on agriculture revival

The World Bank will focus its aid to Afghanistan on the revival of agriculture and enhanced food production to help the impoverished country in becoming self-sufficient in that important sector Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director of the World Bank, told a press conference here on Tuesday World Bank would provide Afghanistan a grant of $255 million for eight development projects during the current year.

She said the reason for shifting the focus to agriculture and food production was that fuel and food prices had witnessed huge spikes in the international market. Prevailing market trends had an enormous effect on food prices in Afghanistan, she reasoned.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala informed journalists the World Bank would finance uplift projects of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitations and Development (MRRD), infrastructure plans, agriculture, health and power supply schemes. The managing director, who arrived here two days back to assess the banks activities in Afghanistan and meet Afghan officials on preparations for the Paris Conference, said her discussions with President Hamid Karzai revolved around on Kabuls homework for the important donors moot in Paris.

On Monday, she visited Bamyan to inspect projects funded by the World Bank. She hailed the Afghan governments achievements in health and education sectors over the last few years. In the same breath, however, she made clear the progress made hitherto was inadequate and there was need for further improvement.