Road concession to promote economic development of Ukraine – Kryklii

He said this during a meeting with Head of the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF) Jason Lu on February 24, 2020. The meeting was attended by representatives of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, Ukravtodor, the Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, and the SPILNO public-private partnership management office, the Government portal reported.

Kryklii stressed that the prompt restoration and development of a network of modern and safe roads and the introduction of concession mechanism is a strategic task of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine. "An extensive network of high-quality and safe roads is one of the most important factors for the successful economic development of Ukraine. We need to shortly connect cities with modern roads and provide businesses with a reliable road connection. In this regard, attracting investment in the road sector through the development of public-private partnerships is the most promising direction to accelerate the construction of the road network in accordance with the best standards. The road concession will promote the development of the Ukrainian economy - they will stimulate the production of necessary materials and equipment, the training of highly qualified specialists, the development of the tourism industry in the regions and the improvement of service by trucking companies. Thus, in fulfilling this task, we also look forward to the support of World Bank experts and other international partners," the minister said.

At present, World Bank experts pursuant to the request of the Ministry of Infrastructure are developing a model program for a pilot concession project on road construction. The purpose of this project funded by the GIF is to support the Ministry of Infrastructure and Ukravtodor in exploring options for involving the private sector in road network improvement and road maintenance.

Head of the GIF Jason Lu commended the progress made in reforming Ukraine's road sector and stressed that the involvement of international expertise and world practices will help to improve the quality of the road network and successfully implement the road concession mechanism.

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