Inauguration Ceremony for the completion of the first phase of the “Rural Development Programme” at Taungni-Taung Lay Lone Road in Taunggyi Township

Taunggyi on 16 November, H. E. Dr. Lin Htut, Chief Minister of Shan State Government, H. E. Mr. Weber-Lortsch, the German

Ambassador to Myanmar, Dr. Khin Zaw, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, U Khant Zaw,

Director General of Department of Rural Development, Mrs. Dagmar Wohrl, Member of the German Parliament and Chairwoman

of the Committee of Economic Cooperation and Development and Mrs. Eva Schneider, KfW Country Director to Myanmar, attended

the Inauguration Ceremony for the finishing of the first phase of the “Rural Development Programme”(RDP) at Taungni-Taung Lay

Lone Road in Taunggyi Township in the Southern Shan State.

          Germany is the First partner of Myanmar to support a project of rural roads construction. So far, the German Government has

supported Myanmar with EUR 28.2 million grant funds and committed additional EUR 10 million grant funds after the flooding in

2015 to develop rural areas by upgrading and constructing rural roads in Southern Shan State. At the occasion of celebrating the

completion of the first-phase of the “Rural Development Programme”, the German Ambassador to Myanmar, H. E. Mr. Weber-

Lortsch, emphasized in his speech: “By making roads and bridges accessible all year around, the population living close to the

roads gain access to important public institutions such as healthcare facilities and schools, as well as employment opportunities.

Regional mobility is essential to improving living conditions.”

          The programme has been implemented within the framework of German Financial Cooperation via KfW Development

Bank by the Department of Rural Development (DRD) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. The programme

comprises rural roads of more than 150km, which will benefit more than 100,000 people living close to the roads.

          Additionally, the DRD was trained in road maintenance, planning, procurement and supervision to deepen essential

capacities for the successful handling of road construction projects.