Transforming Telecoms in Afghanistan: Expanding Affordable Access by Introducing Competition

Afghanistan has transformed its telecommunications from a fragmentedsystem serving few people to a modern one putting Afghans in touch with one another and with the global economy—all in just a few years. After the war in 2002 there were only 2 telephones for every 1,000 Afghans, and communicating between provinces was almost impossible, even for the government.

Afghanistan: DABS Kandahar

Afghanistan’s national power utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), is responsible for providing power generation, transmission, and distribution services across the coun- try. Following its incorporation in 2008, DABS struggled to provide sustainable service, particularly in the south of Afghanistan. To help address this, DABS hired IFC as the lead advisor on a performance-based public-private partnership (PPP) for one of its regional divisions. The PPP agreement was signed in August 2014.

Identifying/Screening Projects for PPP Implementation: Afghanistan

Afghanistan, like many developing countries, has been seeking ways to develop and improve infrastructure within the framework of limited fiscal capabilities. In recent years, the World Bank Group has been working with the Government of Afghanistan on increasing private participation in infrastructure. Public-private partnerships are increasingly seen as a means to harness private innovation and finance while the government maintains ultimate ownership and insurance of the public interest.

Improving Transparency and Accountability in Public-Private Partnerships Disclosure Diagnostic Report: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

In May 2016, the World Bank published a Framework for Disclosure of Information in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), which provides a template for the preparation of a PPP Disclosure Diagnostic that assesses the transparency and accountability of PPP programs based on the disclosure of information. Between March 2020 and October 2020, a joint Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and World Bank team conducted a study on PPP disclosure in Afghanistan, using the World Bank’s PPP Disclosure Diagnostic template.