Business
World Bank to Provide $403 million To Support Education, Rural Women in Afghanistan
The agreements were signed on Tuesday by Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, the Acting Minister of Finance and Chief Advisor on Infrastructure and Technology to the President, and Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan in presence of Ministers of Education, Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Higher Education and Deputy Women’s Affairs Minister.
“Investing in women empowerment and education programs sets the direct path towards gender equality, poverty reduction, economic growth and higher income,” the Acting Minister of Finance Humayoun Qayoumi said.
“Women are remarkable part of the society; empowering them will enormously contribute to economic and social advancement. I am thankful to our ARTF partners and the Global Partnership for Education for their usual cooperation to our development efforts in Afghanistan,” he added.
The largest part of the package, $298 million will be allocated to improve education, $100 million to Women’s Economic Empowerment Rural Development Project and the remaining $5 million grant to the existing $50 million grant Higher Education Development Project.
“Investing in the next generation of Afghans, ensuring that boys and especially girls in all parts of the country have access to a quality education, and unlocking the latent potential of Afghanistan’s women through women’s economic empowerment programs, are probably the two most important initiatives we could support to secure a better future for Afghanistan,” said Shubham Chaudhuri “I am grateful that our ARTF partners and the Global Partnership for Education share this commitment and have contributed to the financing package we signed today.”
The Acting Minister of Education Mirwais, meanwhile, said that 1.7 million Afghan children is deprived of education and that the package could benefit these children in this regard.
“By signing this agreement, important deeds will be done for improving quality of education,” Balkhi said while calling the EQRA project vital.
“ The Ministry of Education has finalized al the practical plans and the program will be completed in due time and in accordance with the specified budget, which in any case will have positive impacts on the education system of the country,” he added.