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Afghanistan - Asian Development Bank has approved USD 150,000,000 for the construction of the remaining parts of the Country’s ring road

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved 150 million USD for the construction of the remaining parts of the country’s ring road. Bank officials said they continue their efforts to complete the ring road in Faryab and Badghis provinces, in the north of Afghanistan. 
“We are working right now to finish the ring road across Afghanistan which is very important. In the north-west corner of Afghanistan, the ring road has not been completed,” the ADB country director in Afghanistan Thomas Panella said. According to the Asian Development Bank, with the help of the bank's new budget,151 kilometers of the final ring road from the Qaisar area to the Dar-e-Boom area in Badghis will be constructed by using this fund. The budget for the remaining part of the ring road was approved last week, the ADB official confirmed. Officials from Ministry of Commerce and Industries said considering the opening of the international transport corridor to Afghanistan, the completion of the transport infrastructure is crucial for the country. The officials said working groups of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor will soon start working to expand the business route to the world. “It is possible and we can travel to the four connecting countries with the vehicles we have. We would also have this capacity in Torghundi and Aqina ports to provide facilities for unloading and loading of foreign vehicles transporting goods to these ports,” said Sayed Yahya Akhlaqi, head of the transit and commercial department of the ministry. Analysts said government needs to provide the ground and ensure the safety of major projects in the country, particularly in northern parts of Afghanistan. “We need to strengthen domestic capacities, especially security in north of Afghanistan. We need to encourage Pakistanis and Tajiks to build their own business in the conjunction with our capacities,” said Shabir Bashiri, an economic affairs analyst.
Afghanistan's ring road is part of the 3,360 kilometers of main highway project, connecting 16 provinces and major cities such as Kabul, Mazar, Herat, Kandahar, Ghazni and Jalalabad.
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