The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the national network of rural roads in Solomon Islands through a grant package of 16.2 million U.S. dollars, an ADB report said on Wednesday.

The package will finance the rehabilitation of about 100 kilometers of provincial and secondary roads in Solomon Islands, the report said.

It will also fund improved road maintenance by developing and implementing management systems, helping implement a national transport fund, and involving private contractors and communities in the task, said the report.

The project will complement other ADB assistance underway, including road investments and technical assistance to improve interisland shipping and civil aviation to link rural areas to urban centers for access to markets and social services.

Solomon Islands, one of the least developed of ADB's Pacific member countries, is characterized by high unemployment, especially among youth, and one of the highest population growth rates in the world. Combined with slow economic growth, this situation is exacerbating poverty in the country.

Investment in the road network, which has never been adequate, has declined in recent years, leaving the sector badly underfunded, according to the report.

Source: Xinhua