World Bank offers Afghanistan 691 mln USD for support

KABUL, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank provided a grant of 691 million U.S. dollars to Afghan government to support its efforts in reviving economy and improving access to quality healthcare, Afghan Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

The new financing will help modernize state-owned banks, and expand regional telecommunication connectivity, electronic-government services and create enabling environment for private sector investment, the ministry said in a statement.

"Improving the quality of health services, strengthening the banking infrastructure and digitizing government systems will enhance our ability to deliver better and quality services to our people," Afghan Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi was quoted in the statement as saying.

"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 program in a context of strong budget pressures imposed by low domestic revenue, though improving, massive security spending and enormous development needs, said Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank country director for Afghanistan, in the statement.

"In this challenging environment, we remain committed to helping the government of Afghanistan further improve service delivery to the Afghan people. For example, the new health project will improve health and nutrition services for the entire population of the country in all 34 provinces." he added. Enditem