ADB commits assistance to Laos’ goals
INFRASTRUCTURE development for transportation connectivity, telecommunications, along with the power, education and health sectors will all be the focus of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its continuous assistance to Laos in upcoming years.
Director General for ADB’s Southeast Asia Department James Nugent disseminated this plan in his interview with Vientiane Times and Lao News Agency last week on the sidelines of a ceremony held in Vientiane to mark the 50 year partnership between ADB and Laos.
“We will continue the work on regional infrastructure, both in hardware and software,” Nugent said on the ADB’s future cooperation.
He pointed to projects which ADB had cooperated on such as development of the East-West Economic Corridor, road, rail, telecommunications and power sector.
For the power sector, ADB will continue helping Laos in building the hardware such as transmission lines to connect the country to the region and beyond, according to the bank’s official.
Nugent noted the importance of human resource development as a key for Laos in regional integration, with ADB continuing cooperation with the country in education development. By December 2016, ADB’s assistance to Laos reached US$2.57 billion in loans, grants and technical assistance, of which $2.41 billion was for 93 loan projects and 52 grant projects.
Health security and financial management has received continued support from ADB with the government launching the health sector governance programme financed by the bank in 2005, aiming at improving the delivery of health services particularly for the poor, women and children, and contributing to achieving universal health services by 2025.
Nugent also mentioned natural resources management and climate resiliency as cross-cutting, which he said were very important going forward whatever investment the government and private sector had made.
He emphasised infrastructure development as important in accompanying Laos’ pursuit of the sustainable development goals, which will include urban development, water supply and sanitation along with mainstreaming gender, disaster management, climate change, rural and urban connectivity, higher education, health security and communicable diseases.
ADB has provided more than 61,000 people including around 37,000 women with micro-finance loan accounts.
More than 800 kilometres of roads in both rural and urban areas have been built and upgraded and more than 11,000 hectares of land through irrigation, drainage and flood management has been improved by the financial support from ADB.
