World Bank approves major road upgrade for Timor-Leste
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$59 million credit to begin rehabilitating the 44.3km road corridor from Gleno to Hatubuilico in Timor-Leste.
The Timor-Leste Branch Roads Project will finance critical new roadworks to link the coffee growing towns of Gleno and Letefoho to the village of Hatubuilico, the home of Mount Ramelau and one of Timor-Leste’s most popular tourist destinations. A second phase of the project will connect improved roads from Hatubuilico to the completed Dili-Ainaro road corridor, dramatically improving road access and safety for tourists, farmers and coffee producers.
“This is the World Bank’s second major transport infrastructure project in Timor-Leste and the first major project to be announced as part of our new 2020-2024 Country Partnership Framework” said Macmillan Anyanwu, the Country Representative for Timor-Leste “This investment will have positive impacts across many sectors, especially for tourism and coffee farmers, and is an important step towards raising productivity through improved connective infrastructure.”
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Public Works and financed with a US$59 million concessional credit from the World Bank International Development Association. The Government of Timor-Leste will also contribute US$11.8 million, with work expected to commence by September 2020 and construction activity completed by December 2023.
Since 2000, the World Bank has helped the government of Timor-Leste to rebuild national infrastructure, stabilize the economy and strengthen government institutions. In 2019 the World Bank Group has approved a new Country Partnership Framework which includes support for improved human capital, service delivery and economic diversification, investments in connective infrastructure and reforms in public financial management.
