ADB - Asian Development Bank

09/20/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/19/2021 20:09

ADB Partnership with Tajikistan to Focus on Improving Quality of Growth

DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN (20 September 2021) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a new country partnership strategy (CPS) for Tajikistan that will focus on improving the quality of the country's economic growth by supporting government efforts to increase productivity and mobilize private investments.

Under the new CPS 2021-2025, ADB operations in Tajikistan will pursue three strategic priorities: supporting structural reforms to enhance resource allocation and mobilization, improving labor productivity through human capital development, and fostering better livelihoods through investment in a land-linked economy.

'Our new partnership strategy reaffirms ADB's strong commitment to help Tajikistan address its key development challenges, including the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,' said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov. 'This strategy builds on our previous collaboration with Tajikistan to improve resilience to external shocks and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth.'

ADB will assist government-led structural reforms to transform Tajikistan into a more attractive destination for foreign and domestic private investors. To improve labor productivity, ADB will continue its support for education and market-relevant skills development and help strengthen health services and social protection. To enhance livelihoods and food security, ADB will support agricultural production and natural resources management, improve urban services in Dushanbe and secondary cities, tap the tourism potential of the country, and develop roads to connect rural and urban areas with neighboring countries.

ADB will seek to address climate change and promote gender equality and regional cooperation and integration in its operations, while developing its private sector operations. The bank will also provide knowledge support for the CPS's strategic priorities. The CPS is aligned with the Tajikistan National Development Strategy 2030, ADB's Strategy 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Since Tajikistan joined ADB in 1998, the bank has become Tajikistan's largest multilateral development partner with more than $2.2 billion in assistance, including around $1.7 billion in grants, to help develop strategic road and energy infrastructure, promote food security, and strengthen social services.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members-49 from the region.