Lahore: On Wednesday, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation held a consultation session with a number of key officials of the Punjab government to discuss the bank’s partnership strategy with Pakistan for the years 2020-2024, as per news reports.
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During the meeting, several important areas of collaboration were discussed, including job creation, urban development, and connectivity within the province.
Chairman Planning and Development Habib ur Rehman Gillani, the keynote speaker for the proceeding, talked of aligning the development process and strategy of the ADB with the Punjab Growth Strategy.
ADB Country Director and Pakistan Resident Mission Xiaohong Yang commended the provincial government on the completion of its ‘comprehensive’ Punjab Growth Strategy 2023, which covers the full range of sectors that the development partners are interested in. Further, she discussed the areas where the ADB was currently working with the provincial government, such as the various public-private partnerships that are in progress.
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Gillani expressed his confidence in the fact that the government was focused on the social sector. He stated that most of the public’s funds were being diverted to the said sector, specifically towards the resolution of education and health concerns.
He said that the government’s mega projects would be funded through public-private partnerships, such as the one currently in place with the ADB.
