Delivery of Basic Services

One of Canada’s six priorities for moving forward on Afghanistan is to help strengthen the Afghan government’s institutional capacity to deliver core services and promote economic growth, enhancing the confidence of Kandaharis in their government.

Building the confidence of Afghans in their own government is crucial to enabling their public officials to assume responsibility for security, governance, and development in Kandahar. Gaining public confidence will depend on the Afghan government’s ability to deliver essential services and make perceptible improvements in the lives of Afghans. Schools, accessible water and sanitation, electricity, health, and job creation are cited by Kandaharis as their most pressing needs.

Canada will invest up to $210 million* over three years toward helping the Afghan government deliver basic services such as:

• education;
• vocational training;
• roads;
• job creation for Afghans, including promoting agricultural production and providing access to credit for entrepreneurs; and
• repairing infrastructure for irrigation and potable water.

Two signature projects will be prominent among Canadian investments in the province of Kandahar. In the first, Canada will support the urgent rehabilitation of the province’s main water source—the Dahla Dam (up to $50 million*) —and its irrigation and canal system, thus generating seasonal jobs and promoting agriculture.

The second signature project will involve building, expanding or repairing 50 schools in Kandahar over three years (up to $12 million*). As a result, children in key districts of the province will have increased access to schooling.

Canadian objectives for 2011

Canada expects that by 2011 Kandahar’s provincial administration and core ministries of the Afghan government will be better able to provide basic services in key districts of the province of Kandahar. Progress will be measured using indicators such as: number of hectares of land benefiting from improved irrigation and water management; schools built, repaired or expanded; teachers trained; infrastructure projects implemented; and seasonal jobs generated.

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