ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 9. The World Bank is currently implementing two large transport projects in Kazakhstan, said Andrei Mikhnev, World Bank Country Manager for Kazakhstan, during a government meeting, Trend reports.
"Kazakhstan is an important partner. The republic accounts for about half of all World Bank transport investments in European and Central Asian regions. The mutually beneficial partnership between the World Bank and the government of Kazakhstan in the transport sector lasts about 30 years. Currently, the World Bank is implementing 2 large transport projects in Kazakhstan. Thus, $3.2 billion was allocated for the Western Europe – Western China and Karaganda – Almaty projects," he said.
According to him, the implementation of these projects will allow the development of major transport corridors in several regions of the country.
"As part of the ongoing South-West and East-West projects financed by the World Bank, more than 1,600 kilometers of main roads have been put into operation, and assistance has been provided to the institutional development of almost all aspects of the road sector in Kazakhstan," Mikhnev noted.
The country manager pointed out that, along with investments in infrastructure, the World Bank is focusing on improving the quality of construction contracts and road maintenance. At the same time, the project also focuses on ensuring climate resilience and road safety.
"The World Bank is focused on preparing a project to improve the transport sustainability and connectivity of the corridor between Zhezkazgan and Karaganda. It is envisaged that the World Bank's partner in this project will be the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Investments will modernize the Karaganda-Zhezkazgan road, have a positive impact on the development of the region, including the Ulytau, improve the well-being of the population, and contribute to strengthening domestic and international transport integration," he said.
Mikhnev noted that this project is being built under the first technical category with four-lane traffic, taking into account the prospective traffic intensity for 20 years. An additional advantage of the project is the strengthening of the multimodality of the Middle Corridor in Kazakhstan.
"As part of this project, for the first time in Kazakhstan, the principles of OPBRC (Output- and Performance-based Road Contract) contracts will be introduced, based on results, where the contractor himself will design, build, and subsequently maintain the road infrastructure," he added.
Notably, the World Bank's total loan amount for Kazakhstan exceeds $9.17 billion. Kazakhstan took 23rd place among the countries with the largest volume of the loan portfolio from the WB.
The World Bank's cooperation in Kazakhstan spans more than 30 years and is presently governed by the Kazakhstan Country Cooperation Framework (CPF 2020–2025).