The Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province held a meeting with leaders of the World Bank in Vietnam.
(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of February 3rd, Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, worked with leaders of the World Bank (WB) in Vietnam on the progress of the "Priority Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation Urban Development Project in Vinh City, Nghe An Province," funded by a WB loan.
Representing the World Bank were Ms. Carolyn Turk, Country Director of the World Bank in Vietnam, and other World Bank officials from Vietnam. The meeting was held online between Nghe An and Hanoi.
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Overview of the working session at the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee's meeting point. Photo: Thanh Duy |
The project “Priority Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation Urban Development in Vinh City, Nghe An Province” comprises four components: Component 1: Integrated investment in drainage, sanitation, and connectivity; Component 2: Expanding storage capacity to reduce urban flooding; Component 3: Upgrading the Vinh River; and Component 4: Developing systems and capacity to improve climate-adaptive urban development. The total investment is US$194.5 million, of which US$129.6 million is requested from the World Bank.
Speaking at the meeting, on behalf of the leaders of Nghe An province, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung thanked the World Bank leaders for their attention to the province in general, as well as to the proposed project.
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Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung speaks at the working session. Photo: Thanh Duy |
The head of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee emphasized that Vinh City is identified by Nghe An as the driving force and focal point of the province's development. The Central Government's resolution also stipulates the development of Vinh City into an economic and cultural center of the North Central region.
Therefore, Nghe An province considers the "Priority Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation Urban Development Project in Vinh City" as a priority project aimed at improving and developing the infrastructure and environment of this important city; especially connecting the wastewater treatment system, creating more green spaces; and enhancing the urban management and development capacity of Vinh City.
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Leaders of several departments and agencies of Nghe An province at the working meeting. Photo: Thanh Duy |
Over the past period, Nghe An province in general, and Vinh City in particular, have made great efforts to implement measures to accelerate the progress of related work. Currently, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has assigned specialized agencies of the Provincial People's Committee to coordinate with the Vinh City People's Committee and relevant agencies to complete the necessary procedures to submit the Feasibility Study Report of the Project to the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee for approval, no later than February 6, 2023.
At the same time, the Provincial People's Committee will work to submit to the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council for approval the plan for using and repaying the loan capital, no later than February 13th; this will serve as the basis for completing the dossier to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for appraisal, negotiation and signing of the loan agreement with the World Bank and for Nghe An to borrow again.
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Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, speaks at the headquarters in Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Duy |
Affirming Nghe An province's strong determination to implement this extremely important project, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung said that the province will continue to work with central agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, to accelerate the completion of project procedures to ensure that the project can meet the World Bank's requirements.
Ms. Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, highly appreciated the province's determination in accessing WB funding to implement the project. She also stated that the WB office in Vietnam is ready to support Nghe An in completing the dossier for submission to the Ministry of Finance. Furthermore, she will inform the WB headquarters in Washington DC, USA, about the province's progress in fulfilling the project's requirements.
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The meeting was held online between Nghe An and Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Duy |
Based on the agreed viewpoints and timelines for project implementation between Nghe An province and the World Bank's representative office in Vietnam, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung thanked Ms. Carolyn Turk and the World Bank officials for their cooperation with the province.
The head of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee expressed confidence that the results of this meeting would accelerate subsequent work. The provincial leadership assigned clear and specific responsibilities to the relevant departments and the Vinh City People's Committee to ensure the project's progress.
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Leaders of the Vinh City People's Committee and several units at the working meeting. Photo: Thanh Duy |
Over the years, Nghe An province has utilized funding from international organizations, including the World Bank (WB). Currently, the province has 14 projects using WB funding with a total investment of approximately US$290 million, of which the WB contributed about US$220 million. To date, these projects have been largely completed and are proving effective. In particular, in Vinh City, the Medium-Sized Urban Development Project in Vietnam - Vinh Urban Development Sub-project, with a total investment of US$125 million, of which US$90 million was WB-funded, implemented from 2012 and completed in 2019, has proven highly effective. Building on the success of this project, Nghe An province continues to propose the project "Priority Infrastructure and Climate Change Adaptation Urban Development in Vinh City, Nghe An Province" to the WB.
