NewsNetworkToday: AFGHANISTAN: ROAD RECONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT (UNAMA)

NewsNetworkToday: 18 December 2009 - UNAMA:
Afghanistan - Afghanistans road system, damaged by decades of war and a serious impediment to economic growth, faces reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Without critical infrastructure such as road system, many of Afghanistans provinces are cut off from access to vital services such as education and healthcare.

Today, the Afghan government works with the World Bank and UN Office for Partnerships (UNOPS) to build roads through its National Rural Access Program (NRAP). This programme recruits locals to build and rehabilitate thousands of kilometers of roads linking rural areas to city centers.

Mohammad Rasol, a local road construction worker, says that a trip to Kabul from the countrys central highlands often takes days on foot and road. Now with a new road, the trip will be cut by half.

SOUNDBITE (Dari) Mohammad Rasol, Afghan Road Construction Worker:
We are very happy with the work being done here. Also we appreciate the Governments initiative. When the construction of this road ends, the journey time to Kabul will be cut by half which means one and half day.
According to UNOPS, the benefits of the programme are countless. A new road system will improve accessibility, open rural businesses up for regional and national markets and lead to better allocation of resources, technology transfer and higher productivity.

SOUNDBITE (English) Sayeed Khan Ahmadzai, Road Engineer, UN Office for Partnerships (UNOPS):
The main aim of NRAP is to enhance womens security and also the economic growth of the community by the around access in the year to provide facilities and access to health services.

The programme is also creating jobs and has, so far, generated over 12 million labour days for the locals. Zalmai, another road construction worker, is grateful that through the programmet he is able to find work and feed his family.

SOUNDBITE (Dari) Zalmai, Afghan Road Construction Worker:
I am working now at the first part of this road from Matak to Bameyan. I am happy to have this opportunity to earn some money to feed my family and therefore I thank the government for this project.

The ongoing road construction that links the central provinces such as Bamiyan is expected to end this year. Next year, the programme will include the rehabilitation of roads across Afghanistans northern region. So far over 9,000 kilometers of roads have been constructed or rehabilitated connecting rural Afghanistan in all 34 provinces. ................................................................................­.... (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: UNAMA) ............................. .......................................... ................................................................................­............................................. ............................................ NewsNetworkToday:
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