Afghanistan, struggling to recover from 23 years of war and drought, will undertake a nation-wide 160 million US dollar project to build government infrastructure, a minister announced Thursday.
The plan is believed to be the second largest reconstruction project after last month's completion of a highway linking the country's two major cities Kabul and Kandahar.
President Hamid Karzai signed off on the 160 million dollar project to build infrastructure in each of Afghanistan's 340-plus districts last week, Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali told reporters.
"The president signed the stability-strengthening project in which the centres of every district throughout the country will emerge as small cities," Jalali said.
"This project will cover the construction of public institutions - district buildings, banking systems, postal offices, telephones, telegraphs, mosques, libraries and conference halls in every district."
Afghanistan is divided into 32 provinces and more than 340 districts. Most government institutions have been damaged if not ruined during more than two decades of conflict and there are whole districts without any government buildings.
There are no proper roads linking the capital Kabul with the rest of the country and there is no fixed line telephone system. The central government contacts the districts using satellite phones and radios.
Designed to be completed within two years, a governing committee composed of several ministries headed by the Ministry of Interior is leading the project. Other ministries involved include the departments of Urban Development, Rural Development, Telecommunications, Public Works and Finance.
The Afghan government is still trying to raise funds for the project with only 67 million dollars pledged so far.
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