Tajikistan and the World Bank: Partners in Development for 30 Years

June 4, 2023, marked 30 years of partnership between the World Bank and Tajikistan. Since then, the World Bank has provided over $2.8 billion to the country, helping to improve infrastructure, education, healthcare, poverty reduction, and more.

And this support has produced tangible impact for communities across Tajikistan, including:

The Tajikistan Higher Education Project benefitted over 28,000 students and 2,800 teachers across all of the country’s universities by improving the learning environment, boosting skills development, upgrading academic programs, and supporting female student enrollment.

Students collaborating on an assignment during a workshop conducted by the World Bank financed youth initiative. Photo by Eurasia Foundation in Central Asia.

The World Bank supported rehabilitation of schools and provision of school equipment in rural regions, which benefited over 110,000 schoolchildren. Around nine million copies of textbooks published with the World Bank’s support helped reduce shortages by more than 40%.

Eager young learners pose for a photo in a classroom. Photo by Dan Ava for the World Bank.

With support from the World Bank and other development partners, the Government of Tajikistan established a National Testing Center and introduced a unified university entrance examination to promote greater transparency in university admissions. In just the first year of introducing this reform, the intake of girls increased by 10%, while admissions for students from rural areas rose 40%.

Leveraging computers for classroom instruction and practice is a boost for students. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

With World Bank support, Tajikistan’s rural Vose District improved its water supply by fully rehabilitating three water supply systems that provide services for 74,000 people and building two new facilities.

Little boy from Vose district drinking water from newly installed water spigot. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

The World Bank-supported Agriculture Commercialization Project has contributed to expanding opportunities for Tajik farmers and enterprises to enhance their productivity and income, particularly for women farmers who often face barriers when managing businesses in rural areas.

Woman working in a greenhouse. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

Since 2017 the World Bank has supported 130 agricultural start-ups totaling $1.8 million, including 90 launched by youth, 35 by women, and five by persons with disabilities.

Women harvesting cauliflower in the field. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

The World Bank-supported Agriculture Commercialization Project supported over 2,800 farmers, nearly half of them women, with grants worth $4 million to boost their yields, expand businesses, and improve their access to domestic and regional markets.

Two farmers inspecting the results of their work in an orchard. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

World Bank investments are supporting more resilient infrastructure to withstand climate change in two of Tajikistan’s most vulnerable provinces: the Khatlon Region and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). So far, over 650,000 people have benefited from investments in both areas, which have helped restore river embankments, reinforce roads and bridges, and create jobs.

Oimgul Hafizova’s village, which was threatened by flooding from the nearby river, benefited from the Strengthening Critical Infrastructure Against Natural Hazards Project. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

Over 130 Water Users Associations improved their management of irrigation infrastructure and bolstered irrigation services for farmers.

A resident of Vose District filling her house water tank with carried water. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

Irrigation services were improved on 250,000 of land, benefiting 1.4 million people in the most food insecure districts of Khatlon Region. Over 30,000 residents also gained temporary employment through the project’s public works program.

A farmer tends to the fields diligently while ensuring efficient irrigation practices. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

The Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project connected 27 remote villages in GBAO to electricity, benefitting 4,400 people.

A mother and child read a book with a reliable electricity connection providing light. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

Over 7,600 residents in 35 remote villages across GBAO will be connected to electricity for the first time through off-grid solutions by 2025 including hydro, solar, wind station, and battery storage systems.

A beneficiary of the Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project stands in his living room. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

With the ongoing Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project, over 31,000 people across 64 villages in the poorest areas of Khatlon Region residing along the border with Afghanistan will be provided with reliable electricity supply by 2024.

Residents of a rural community in Tajikistan walking down a path. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

After establishing a National Registry of Social Protection as well as digitizing the full delivery cycle of national safety-net interventions with World Bank support, vulnerable populations in the country can more quickly receive the assistance they need.

Woman from a village in Tajikistan sitting on the edge of an embankment. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

The World Bank has provided financing for procurement of over 565,200 doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to support childhood immunization and the provision of essential child health services in Tajikistan.

Students practice surgical techniques in a classroom. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.

With the support of the World Bank, Tajikistan procured 892,320 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. ICUs in ten of the country’s hospitals were also supported through equipment, medical supplies, PPE, while rehabilitation and oxygen stations were installed in 15 hospitals.

A nurse provides a woman with a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Nozim Kalandarov for the World Bank.