World Bank approves job creation project

Government efforts to rebuild social and economic infrastructure, thus strengthening the peace process, are to be supported by the World Bank in the form of a US $40 million credit for public works and employment creation, the agency announced on Wednesday. The Burundi Public Works and Employment Creation is intended to assist reconciliation at the community level by helping to generate “productive, labour-intensive employment for individuals, particularly the youth, returning refugees and demobilised combatants,” the Bank stated.

Sub-projects are planned to finance the repair and construction of basic infrastructure, including roads, markets, health centres and schools destroyed in the Burundi conflict; and to build capacity in the Ministry of Public Works and Equipment through technical assistance, advice and training. The project will also involve support for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, by supporting a community information and education programme aimed at construction workers, inter-city truck drivers, seasonal workers and other vulnerable groups, the World Bank stated. The entire project will be financed by the $40 million credit - of 40 years maturity, including a 10-year grace period - through the Bank’s ‘soft loan’ lending arm for the poorest countries, the International Development Association.