03 | THE RESULTS – DELIVERY BY SECTORS
RECONNECTING THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
Transport infrastructure is a means to many ends, linking critical aspects of various sectors: from agriculture to education, healthcare to trade. In 2023, the OPEC Fund provided US$240 million for transport and storage to partner countries worldwide.
As a mountainous landlocked country with no river or sea ports, the Kyrgyz Republic relies heavily on road transportation to unite its regions and con- nect with neighbors on the old “Silk Road” in the heart of Central Asia. Kyrgyz transport infrastructure is therefore dominated by its 34,000 km of roads, which carry more than 90 percent of passenger transport and around two-thirds of freight transport, according to the Ministry of Trans- port and Communications. Fully embracing the market economy in the post-Soviet era, Kyrgyz road passenger traffic and freight volume almost doubled between 2002 and 2017, while new vehicle registrations saw a fourfold increase. Modern roads ensure more efficient movement of goods, services and people, boosting trade and tourism, creating jobs and increasing economic growth. They also improve access to basic services like education, health- care and emergency response — which not only contribute to the well-being of the population but can mean the difference between life and death for those living in hard-to-reach rural areas. Yet in the current landscape barely 40 percent of roads are paved and, due to climate extremes, even these require constant repair. Improving transportation is therefore critical to the country’s economic development and a priority for the Kyrgyz National De- velopment Strategy (2018-2040). These are the motivations behind the OPEC Fund’s US$15 million loan for the reconstruction of the Suusamyr-Talas-Taraz road, a project co-financed with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Saudi Fund for Development. Crossing the country from east to west, the road is nearly 200 km long. Once the final 83 km are completed, access to neighboring Kazakhstan will be vastly improved, creating potential new markets for the more than 270,000 inhabitants of the region who mostly work in agriculture and light industry.
OLGA MIKHAILOVA OPEC Fund Country Manager
This project is a recent example of our cooperation with partners in the Arab Coordination Group on improving the road infrastructure in the Kyrgyz Republic. The Suusamyr-Talas-Taraz road is situated along the international corridor connect- ing the country to Kazakhstan, leading to Russia, and all the way to Europe, as well as China on the other end. The road has a very strong economic rationale as it will significantly contribute to increasing transit transportation by linking the main transit corridors of the country with each other and the capital city of Bishkek.
44
Powered by FlippingBook