The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged to provide US$100 million in non-refundable aid to five provinces in southern and central Vietnam to develop their road and bridge projects, an ADB official said on Thursday.

>> Premier highly appreciates ADB support These provinces are Binh Phuoc in the south and Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Kon Tum in the central region. Anto, head of a working group of the bank, made the pledge at a meeting with the Binh Phuoc People’s Committee and a working team from the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment on Thursday. Along with the aid, ADB will also provide an extra $900,000 to the five provinces next year to make detailed plans for the projects, Anto said. The projects, which are scheduled to break ground in early 2016, aim to create efficient, safe, and reliable road systems for the benefit of ethnic minority groups and poor communities in the five provinces.  Nguyen Van Loi, standing deputy chairman of the Binh Phuoc People’s Committee, told the meeting that the poor now account for 7.1 percent of the total number of households in the province. As stated on its website, the ADB has been driven by an inspiration and dedication to improving people’s lives in Asia and the Pacific since it was founded in 1966.

From 31 members at its establishment, the bank has now grown to encompass 67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside. The bank is headquartered in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

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