The installation of a third turbine generator (Unit 2) at Kajaki Dam Hydropower Plant in Helmand Province was a major accomplishment in U.S. and Afghan government efforts to expand access to electricity in Afghanistan. The turbine was commissioned in October 2016, adding 18.5 megawatts (MW) of power to the country’s southern electrical grid. The successful project reduced reliance on more expensive and dirtier diesel generation and nearly doubled the amount of renewable energy distributed to Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city and a hub of commerce in the south. The Afghan national electric utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), assumed full responsibility for operations and maintenance of the facility in March 2017.
The Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Public Works project, a component of the USAID Road Sector Sustainability Program, assisted the Afghan government to sustainably manage the country’s road network using three new institutions – a semi-autonomous Road Authority to manage road maintenance and development, a semi-autonomous Road Fund to provide sustainable financing, and a Transportation Institute to train and to build the capacity of Afghan professionals to plan, analyze, and manage the road sector.
Recent estimates indicate only 30 percent of Afghans have access to electricity. The USAID Power Transmission Expansion and Connectivity project, in partnership with the national electric utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), is working to increase access to electricity by (1) expanding and improving Afghanistan’s electric transmission system; (2) strengthening the ability of DABS to manage, operate and maintain the national power system; and (3) attracting private sector investment in Afghanistan’s energy sector.
The Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP) works with leading Afghan processing and export firms to enhance the supply chain, marketing, and export promotion of Afghan fruits and nuts. CHAMP supports traders through its trade offices located in New Delhi, India and Dubai, UAE to boost Afghan agricultural exports in these and other major regional markets. CHAMP is working to strengthen the capacity of local packaging manufacturers, improve the skills of exporters in business administration and finance, establish an Agricultural Export Knowledge Management Unit that will disseminate reliable data on agricultural exports, promote investment in cold storage and pack house facilities, expand quality standards certification, and support freight and logistics facilitation to promote agricultural trade. These efforts will stimulate the growth of Afghan exports to regional wholesale markets and supermarkets by up to 15,000 metric tons (MT) annually.
The Agricultural Credit Enhancement (ACE) project established and managed the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) until it was transferred to the Afghan government in 2015. The follow-on project, ACE-II, seeks to build on results achieved by the previous program and expand access to agriculture-related credit to increase commercial viability of small- and medium-size farms and agribusinesses as a necessary condition for a thriving agricultural economy. ACE-II is providing technical assistance to improve ADF’s management systems and catalyze its transition to a sustainable agricultural development financial institution.
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