A loan agreement for 20 million U.S. dollars has been signed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between the Government of Tajikistan, represented by Abdusalom Qurboniyon, Minister of Finance, and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), represented by its President Ahmad Mohammed Ali.

The amount of this loan is allocated for co-financing the project in the transport sector, namely; the Construction of Kulob-Kalaikhumb Road Project, Sections ‘A’ and ‘F’.

According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) Secretariat, the project aims to construct of a 58-kilometer two-lane road, including the 32-kilometer Section ‘A’ connecting Kulob and Shouroobod and the Section ‘F’ with the length of 28 kilometers connecting Shkev and Kalaikhumb.  

A total cost of the project is 115.5 million U.S. dollars, including the US$20 million loan provided by IsDB.  

The main objective of the project is in supporting social and economic development of the south-east region of Tajikistan by means of providing the year-round ground-based transportation service between the western part of Tajikistan and the eastern region of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).

Besides, the project aims to improve regional transit and development of trade with neighboring countries – Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.