Afghanistan COVID-19 Response Development Policy Grant
The development objectives and pillars of the operation are: i) strengthening the policy framework to support relief and recovery for vulnerable people and firms; and ii) strengthening the policy framework for recovery and resilience in infrastructure provision.
The Afghanistan COVID-19 Response Development Policy Grant will support the Government of Afghanistan in managing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant development objective is fully aligned with government’s eight-point plan for COVID-19 response and the World Bank’s broader rapid response. It will support vital policy and institutional reform measures under two pillars: i) strengthening the policy framework to support relief and recovery for vulnerable people and firms; and ii) strengthening the policy framework for recovery and resilience in infrastructure provision.
Expected Results
Policy actions supported by the operation are expected to lead to:
- Expansion in bank credit to small and medium enterprises as a share of total bank lending
- Increase in the number of issued mobile wallets for e-money, to both men and women
- Increase in the proportion of healthcare workers with access to personal protective equipment
- Increase in the number of schools provided with training and awareness raising on gender-based violence
- Reduction in total public sector arrears to the energy utility
- Increase in the volume of safe water supplied by utilities in main urban centers