Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 8
By Azad Hasanli – Trend:
World Bank (WB) is preparing for implementation the next stage of the Rural Investment Project for Azerbaijan (AzRIP), head of the bank’s Baku office Naveed Hassan Naqvi said in the exclusive interview with Trend, Aug. 8.
"The second phase of the Rural Investment Project for Azerbaijan (AzRIP-2) is expected to be implemented within 6-9 months,” he said. “We hope that by that time the third phase will be ready."
Naqvi said that the third phase of the project may cost around $50-100 million.
"The final amount of financing and volume of work to be carried out within the project will be determined following the negotiations with the Azerbaijani government," he said.
The implementation of the AzRIP-2 project was launched in 2012.
The project costs $53.6 million, $50 more million were allocated within the additional financing in 2014.
Thus, 1,270 micro-projects are planned to be implemented as part of the AzRIP-2 project and 3.5 million people will be AzRIP-2 beneficiaries.
AzRIP-2 was created on the basis of the results of the first project, which helped to increase income of 600,000 farmers, improve irrigation services for 700,000 people and provide safe drinking water for 150 villagers.
The project covers five main zones – Shirvan Plain, Mugan-Salyan, Nakhchivan, the northern and north-western areas.
Azerbaijan joined the World Bank Group in 1992.