The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) has announced that the construction of the Wakhan Corridor road in Badakhshan, Afghanistan will be completed before the winter season. The 50-kilometer stretch of the Silk Road extends from Wakhan district to the Chinese border and is 5 meters wide.
Wakhan Road to Facilitate Trade and Transit
Kabul 24: The road will serve as an important trade route connecting China to Afghanistan and beyond.
China has expressed readiness for transit through the Wakhan road.
The road has the potential to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from Pakistan to Tajikistan through Afghanistan, linking landlocked Central Asian states with the ports in Karachi and Gwadar.
Thousands of Development Projects Implemented
Over the past year, the MRRD has implemented thousands of small and large development projects across the country.
Negotiations are underway with the World Bank to determine the fate of 20,000 unfinished projects.
The ministry has begun parallel development work in all areas where rural projects are needed.
Funding and Supervision
The total cost of the Wakhan road project amounts to over 369,579,000 Afghanis, funded by the MRRD’s road construction budget and supervised by development councils.
The reconstruction work on the Silk Road commenced in September 2023 with the presence of MRRD acting head Malamohammad Yunus Akhonzada and local officials.
The completion of the Wakhan road before winter will significantly reduce the distance and cost of commercial trade between Afghanistan and China. It will also provide Central Asian states with a shorter and more efficient route to access international markets via the strategically important Gwadar port.
