Afghan gets Japan’s assistance for 8 new development projects

Kabul: Hideo Sato, Ambassador of Japan to Afghanistan, and representatives of 6 Afghan NGOs and a Swiss NGO signed for 8 new development projects in 6 provinces under Japan’s assistance scheme “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GAGP)” at the Embassy of Japan in Kabul.

The new projects include improvement of secondary education in Bamyan and construction of a high school in Baghlan, 2 intakes in Balkh and Daikundi, a protection wall in Takhar, and 69 culverts in Balkh and Helmand.

The Representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development also participated in the signing ceremony.

Education and infrastructure are among the most prioritized sectors for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

In order to support education in Afghanistan, the Government of Japan has funded construction of 521 schools in all the 34 provinces through GAGP and other assistance schemes. The new projects signed this time will directly benefit more than 33,000 people in local communities.

The Government of Japan has so far contributed more than US$1.45 billion in support of Afghanistan’s reconstruction since 2002, and with it pledged additional assistance of US$ 550 million at the Paris Conference on June 12.

As many as 663 projects, covering all the 34 provinces in the country, have been implemented under the GAGP scheme in such areas as basic health, basic education, vocational training, agriculture and basic infrastructure, etc, with a total amount of over US$ 66.6 million. Those projects have been highly appreciated by the Afghan people as they directly respond to their needs at the grassroots level.