ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Government of Germany, through German Development Bank (KfW), signed three grants-in-aid agreements with a cumulative value of Euro 18.5 million. Under these agreements, the Government of Germany will provide support to the Government of Pakistan for health facilities and combating polio in the country, along with services towards mitigating energy issues.
The agreements were signed by Economic Affairs Division Secretary Noor Ahmed and Sebastian Jacobi, Country Director, German Development Bank-KfW Pakistan.
Under the ‘Women Employment in Private Health Sector’, KfW will provide a grant of Euro 12 million exclusively for the establishment of women’s health clinics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to promote self-employment of women in the health sector and training of qualified women to run clinics. For ‘Polio eradication’, the Government of Germany, through KfW will provide an additional grant of Euro 5 million to augment the existing support for polio eradication. This will help the Government of Pakistan to finance polio vaccines and meet the costs for vaccination campaigns for the implementation of Pakistan’s National Polio Emergency Action Plan.
Under the climate change/energy component, a grant of Euro 1.5 million is provided to Pakistan to implement accompanying services for the Harpo Hydropower Project in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. These accompanying measures will be carried out at the project site in support of the main Harpo Hydropower Project to ensure project sustainability.
The accompanying services shall comprise assistance to strengthen the power utility i.e. the Gilgit-Baltistan Power Department as well as accompanying investments in the social infrastructure including relevant consulting measures.
Historically, Pakistan and Germany have enjoyed warm friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1951. Earlier this year, the Government of Germany, through KfW signed agreements with the Government of Pakistan to provide Euro 27 Million for Gharo Substation in the province of Sindh and Euro 6 million for the regional infrastructure project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Noor Ahmed thanked the country director, KfW for providing grant-in-aid assistance to Pakistan worth Euro 18.5 million.
