Islamabad (TDI): The newly appointed Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Pakistan Emma Fan met with Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday.
She was accompanied by Asad Aleem, Deputy Country Director for ADB Pakistan.
Senator Aurangzeb extended a warm welcome to Fan, expressing optimism that the longstanding partnership between Pakistan and the ADB would deepen during her tenure.
He highlighted the bank’s critical role in supporting Pakistan’s development agenda and provided an update on the country’s economic situation, including ongoing reforms in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), taxation, energy, and other sectors aimed at enhancing governance, efficiency, and sustainability.
Fan commended the reforms implemented across various economic sectors and shared that the ADB is in the process of developing a new country partnership strategy for Pakistan, prioritizing key areas such as climate change, economic growth, and overall prosperity.
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During the meeting, she briefed the Minister on ADB’s investment portfolio, detailing both ongoing and upcoming projects in Pakistan.
She emphasized the bank’s commitment to supporting economic reforms, socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, climate initiatives, and policy-based funding.
For the current year, the ADB has launched seven projects in Pakistan, with 16 additional projects planned for the next year, reflecting a robust and collaborative partnership.
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Fan also provided updates on various initiatives, including financial assistance for poverty reduction, reforms in SOEs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), support for power distribution companies to implement smart meters, the establishment of an early flood warning system, and ongoing efforts towards the digitalization of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
