Business
World Bank approves $25m grant for education in Afghanistan
The World Bank on Thursday approved the allocation of an additional $25 million in financing from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to increase access to primary and secondary education in Afghanistan, particularly for girls.
In a statement issued by the World Bank, the organization said the new grant for the EQRA project will help build 100 additional schools, further improve learning and access to education for girls, support teachers’ training, and promote community-based education.
“Afghanistan has made much progress in improving education in the last two decades, but 3.5 million children remain out of school, and half of the country’s schools still have minimal infrastructure,” said Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan.
“This additional financing will help the Afghan government create a better learning environment and enroll more children in schools,” he said.
“Girls’ education is one of the smartest investments a country can make: it boosts economic growth, curbs infant mortality and improves child nutrition,” said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of GPE.
“GPE will continue to do its part so that millions of girls and boys, especially the most vulnerable, can go to school and learn.”
Over the past ten years, Afghanistan has made great strides in improving access to education, but learning poverty is among the highest in the world.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said Thursday it has signed cooperation agreements with ten institutions to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, said: “In the implementation of projects, we must pay special attention to our activities and actions and try to make useful use of the projects according to the requirements and benefit the beneficiaries.”
These ten institutions are to present their projects, the total value of which is around over $1.1 million. The projects will be carried out in Kabul, Baghlan, Ghor, Herat, Logar, Nangarhar, Balkh, Badakhshan and Jawzjan provinces and provide direct jobs for about 1,000.
To date, the ministry has signed MoUs for 72 projects in total, collectively valued at about $53.6 million.
These agreements have been signed with domestic and foreign companies for the establishment of small and medium-sized businesses.
In accordance with the principles and laws of the Islamic Emirate and prioritizing the implementation of projects for immigrants and returnees and internally displaced people, the ministry said 635,865 people will benefit through jobs directly and over 4.3 million will benefit indirectly in 25 provinces once these projects are implemented.
The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) confirmed Tuesday that in the last month of solar year 1402, (March 2024) Afghanistan’s exports totaled $141.1 million and imports totaled $789.6 million.
This was down from $174 million for exports in the same period in 1401. However, imports increased by $99.2 million in 1402, up from $690.4 million.
Most exports in the last month of 1402 went to Pakistan, India and the United Arab Emirates, while in the last month of 1401 exports went to Pakistan, India and China.
The Ministry of Interior said the governor of Herat province Islam Jar met with Alim Khan Yasin Gildaye, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Afghanistan, to discuss various issues around trade.
According to the ministry, the two sides discussed the expansion of trade facilities, increasing the volume of trade exchanges between traders of the two countries, reducing customs tariffs, solving the challenges of traders and issuing visas to them.
The Afghanistan-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce has been opened in Herat in order to facilitate and increase trade between the two countries.
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