Uzbekistan to direct $183 million to rural infrastructure development

The Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction is implementing the “Development of rural infrastructure” project: more than 300 villages in Andijan, Fergana, Namangan, Jizzakh and Syrdarya regions will be provided with funding to improve the quality of basic social infrastructure.

The project will be implemented with the assistance of the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which have provided $100 million and $82 million in loans respectively. The Government of Uzbekistan has allocated $1.6 million for this purpose. This brings the total amount of the project to $183.6 million. The project is planned to be implemented in 5 years (2020-2024).

The project aims to improve the quality of basic social infrastructure and related services for the rural population. It will also help to improve the system of local self-government by involving villagers in assessing the basic needs of their mahallas in the mentioned infrastructure and services, as well as in the decision-making process for their further development.

In particular, within the framework of the project, the villages included in the project will receive funding for the following activities (infrastructural subprojects):

•  Renovation of existing drinking water supply and sewerage systems;

•  Modernization of public buildings to improve their energy efficiency;

•  Recovery of social infrastructure;

•  Restoration of roads, pavements and pedestrian paths;

•  Drainage of rural roads and increasing their resilience to flooding;

•  Rehabilitation and construction of bridges (up to 10 meters);

•  Modernization of street lighting, etc.