ADB announced it has approved a new USD 195 million financing package for a project that will develop climate-resilient and market-oriented infrastructure and livelihoods in 2,942 villages in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady, Chin, Sagaing, and Tanintharyi states and regions. This will help reduce rural poverty and strengthen the villages’ climate and disaster resilience, benefiting around 1.8 million people.

This new package comes after ADB granted Myanmar a USD 51.2 million in mid-November (see last week’s highlights) to upgrade roads in Ayeyarwady and Magway regions.

Myanmar’s rural areas are largely underdeveloped, with only 16% of the population having access to electricity, about 30% lacking access to year-round drinking water, and 25% not connected by any road according to the ADB. Traditional agriculture, which is highly dependent on weather patterns, is the main source of rural livelihoods, accounting for 25.7% of the country’s gross domestic product and 49% of employment.