Germany commits to EUR 80M in aid to Afghanistan

Picture: Deutsche Welle

TMP – 08/01/2018

An aid agreement has been signed between Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance and KfW bank acting on behalf of the German government. The agreement outlines a commitment of support to the tune of EUR 80M to Afghanistan.

In an interview with DW-Dari, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance, Ajmal Abdulrahimzai said that the support will be used to boost public health, education, and water supplies and on poverty reduction measures.
Mr. Abdulrahimzai addressed concerns around corruption by stressing his government’s commitment to transparency in how the money would be spent.

Economics experts in Afghanistan emphasize the need for transparency in spending foreign grants.
“In fact there is some kind of distrust, but it doesn’t affect our hopes. I think foreign countries such as Germany, England and especially theUSA attempt to revive the lost confidence of Afghan people by providing these kinds of grants,” said Economics expert Masoud Hussaini.

The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund was established in 2002 and is overseen by the World Bank. Since its establishment, Germany has granted nearly AFS 47Bn to the fund.