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Non-Stop
Development in the South
Kandahar - 28 September 2007,
 In his 8th
trip to Kandahar this year, the
Minister of Rural Rehabilitation
and Development (MRRD), Mohammed
Ehsan Zia signed 69 contracts
worth US$4,202,101 for
development projects in the
southern provinces. The
contracts were signed between
MRRD, the community development
councils and private
construction companies. These
projects bring the total number
of contracted projects to 480
projects this year in the
provinces of Kandahar, Helmand,
Urozgan, Zabul and Nimroz.
The contracted projects are
designed to significantly
improve the quality of life of
southern Afghans and will
include the construction of new
roads, water canals, Karez,
water networks, schools,
clinics, culverts, intakes,
mosques, retaining walls and
drinking water wells.
With the implementation of these
new projects 224,426 labor days
will be created benefiting
206,600 villagers.
“All MRRD activities are aimed
at eliminating poverty and
improving the livelihood of our
people, and to achieve these
goals we need their continued
support and involvement” said
Minister Zia. “We wouldn’t have
accomplished this much success
in our southern provinces
without the assistance of the
people, provincial councils, the
provincial governors and our
international partners” he
added.
The funding for these projects
comes from USAID, CIDA, DFID,
the Dutch and Belgian
Governments.
Muhammad Gull one of the elders
of Kandahar province who was
attending the contract signing
ceremony said. “We appreciate
the efforts of our government,
because without these
development projects we would
have no access to roads,
clinics, or safe drinking water
and so these things give us a
greater quality of life. If
these projects continue no one
will need to cultivate poppies
because we can get our other
crops to market.”
MRRD has created 16,000 new jobs
in the region since the start of
its development initiatives in
December of 2006. The projects
have all delivered quick impact
that has resulted in
considerable improvements in the
lives of the people.
Through its national programmes,
MRRD has been able to implement
over 28,000
projects throughout the country,
thereby improving the
socio-economic and political
condition of the people and thus
bridging the gap between the
government and the nation
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