Minister for enhancing investment in K-P

Omar Ayub urges officials to identify financing needs to streamline projects

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan commended the performance of ongoing foreign-funded projects in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and showed his satisfaction on the pace of project implementation.

During a meeting with the K-P government to discuss development priorities of the provincial government and explore options for enhancing public investment, the minister asked the officials to identify their development priorities and financing needs in order to streamline projects.

Both sides emphasised that improved irrigation system, farm management, cold storage and farm to market roads are vital to ensure uninterrupted supply chain and food security.

Furthermore, it helps create more employment opportunities and alleviate poverty in the rural areas.

It was also highlighted that domestic connectivity is key to unlock the economic potential of rural and remote areas. Therefore, there is a need to improve the road network, especially farm to market roads, in the province.

Moreover, it was pointed out that the growth of urban population in both large cities and smaller municipalities is putting pressure on urban services and demands for improved municipal services to address the environmental and socio-economic challenges.

In order to make cities more vibrant, there is a need to make more investments in urban infrastructure including water supply, sanitation, waste management and streets. Both the sides agreed to work closely to identify provincial priorities and prepare projects on a fast-track basis.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2021.

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