ADB gives $45m for govt reforms
(Viet Nam News, February 19, 2003)
HA NOI — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged to lend Viet Nam US$45 million in the first phase of its support for the country’s 2001-10 public administrative reform programme.
The governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam, Le Duc Thuy and the ADB’s country director, John Samy signed off on the loan in Ha Noi on Wednesday.
The loan will fund two of the programme’s seven action plans: the training of public officials and applications of information technology, including e-governance.
"Strong institutions and modernised governance are essential for Viet Nam to derive greater benefits from its increasing regional and international integration and continue to attain sustainable high rates of economic growth," Samy said.
The loan, which comes from ADB’s Asian Development Fund has a 24-year term, including an eight-year period of grace.
The programme also includes three technical assistance plans, worth over $3 million, that will build capacity in the Ministry of the Interior and support the Government Office to apply information technology and co-ordinate policy.
The ADB and the governments of France and New Zealand will co-finance this assistance.
The loans for the second and third phase (from 2006-10) will be worth about $105 million.
On Wednesday, the deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan welcomed visiting representatives of the ADB, led by the director-general of the bank’s Mekong Department, Rajat Nag.
"The Government of Viet Nam and its people highly appreciated ADB support and its focus on infrastructure development, basic legal frameworks, administrative reform, poverty reduction, human resources training and regional integration," Khoan said at the reception.
He reaffirmed Viet Nam’s efforts to effectively use ADB grants, stressing his hopes for continued support from the bank.
Nag emphasised the important role that Viet Nam had played in the greater Mekong sub-region and said he was pleased with the decade-long relations between ADB and Viet Nam.
He said the bank would maintain its support for Viet Nam in priority fields in order to boost the country’s development. — VNS
