The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a US$80 million financing to the Republic of Moldova for the Local Roads Improvement Project, which will support the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure in rehabilitating and upgrading around 300 km of local roads, IPN reports.

According to a press release of the World Bank, the funding aims to provide safe and sustainable local road accessibility to education, health and market facilities along selected corridors, with a focus on improving roads that will enable children from rural areas to better access consolidated schools - “hub schools” - resulting from the optimization of the school network. The project aims to address the country’s need for an efficient transport system that would facilitate citizens’ mobility, improved access to social and economic services, and greater trade in international and domestic markets.

“Moldova’s proximity to the largest market in the world - the European Union - highlights the importance of adequate transport infrastructure for economic competitiveness and export-driven growth”, said Alex Kremer, World Bank Country Manager for Moldova. “In addition, Moldova’s demographic realities and the income gap with its EU neighbors means that roads should be urgently modernized to facilitate Moldovans’ access to better public services and economic opportunities to support sustainable and inclusive development.”

The current state of Moldova’s roads is a major impediment to the rural population’s access to quality health and education services. Improvements to local roads are also critical for the agriculture sector. They enhance linkages between farms and markets and help create additional economic opportunities for farmers and farm workers, who are facing some of the highest poverty rates in the country at around 40 percent.

Since Moldova joined the World Bank in 1992, over US$1 billion has been allocated to approximately 60 projects in the country. Currently, the World Bank portfolio includes 8 active projects with a total commitment of US$255 million.