Features

The Baku International Sea Trade Port of Azerbaijan

The Baku International Sea Trade Port of Azerbaijan is designed as a full-fledged intermodal transport hub with a free trade zone (photo by Ragas, Sammons, and Khodjaev). Source: Ports and Logistics Scoping Study in CAREC Countries, April 2021.

Solar Power Provides a Lifeline to Afghanistan’s Hospitals

In Afghanistan's Herat province, medical facilities have done their best to cope with the influx of COVID-19 patients, but power outages have made it challenging to provide adequate treatment.

Afghanistan: Empowering Farmers to Rebuild War-Torn Irrigation

Through a partnership between ADB and the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, the Community-based Irrigation and Development Project was able to train 630 farmers to actively participate in the rehabilitation, upgrade, and maintenance of 175 small-scale and medium-scale traditional irrigation schemes covering about 38,850 hectares, benefiting more than 180,000 households.

Five keys to expanding Central Asia’s global value chains

Central Asia’s long-term economic prosperity depends upon participation in global value chains and upgrading to higher value-added activities.

In Central Asia, COVID-19 response demands improved regional cooperation

By working together with countries to make sound socioeconomic development strategies, multilateral financial institutions can contribute substantially to the fight against the pandemic.

How to create more jobs and reduce poverty in Uzbekistan: Focus on the agri-food sector

Despite the severe implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uzbekistan’s agri-food sector remains an important driver of economic growth and export. It is projected to grow by 2.8% in 2020, compared with 0.6% growth in national GDP.

Central Asia: The first economic contraction in a quarter century

For the Central Asia region, which is so commodity and remittance dependent, economic output will likely contract by 1.7% in 2020 , according to the latest Economic Update for Europe and Central Asia.

Speeding up digital transformation to tackle COVID-19 in Uzbekistan

Digitalization can help Uzbekistan overcome major hurdles as it integrates into the global economy: both its physical constraints as a doubly land-locked country, and the information gaps and technical barriers to increasing prosperity.

Strengthening Afghanistan’s fight against COVID-19

Aware of the threats of the coronavirus outbreak on the fragile health system and the economy, the World Bank moved quickly, fast-tracking a $100-million emergency grant on to help Afghanistan strengthen its public health preparedness.

World Bank supports Tajikistan’s transport connectivity and regional trade

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved the grant-financed Fourth Phase of the Central Asia Regional Links Program (CARs-4), which aims to enhance Tajikistan’s regional transport connectivity and facilitate cross-border trade