The Vice President of the World Bank of South Asia, Martin Razer, warned that the $ 20 billion that has been pledged under the Rural Partnership framework (CPF) will not be sufficient to achieve the Pakistani ambitious development goals for 10 years, which confirms the need to mobilize additional resources.
In a statement after his week -long visit to Pakistan, Raiser admitted the optimism surrounding CPF but emphasized the country’s largest financial needs, especially in developing human capital. He urged Pakistan to attract private sector investments by improving its business climate, saying that the World Bank Group is ready to cooperate with private investors and development partners to secure more funding.
Naji Benassin, the rural director of the World Bank in Pakistan, chanted this feeling, with the highlight of the threatened funds represented only 0.5 % of the country’s gross domestic product per year. Speaking in a seminar hosted by the Pakistani Business Council (PBC), he said that Pakistan should rely on its private resources, private sector contributions, and international partnerships to advance long -term development.
Nasin pointed out that the country’s spending on education has decreased, saying that Pakistan is investing only half of what the similar economies of the size of the sector allocate. He warned that high learning poverty in the country – where three in four children can read a basic text – represents a major threat to sustainable economic growth. He also pointed out that one in three children is outside the school, and that only one in four girls between the ages of 14 or 15 years are registered in secondary education.
In addition to education, he emphasized the frequent financial crises and incompetence in the energy sector in Pakistan, noting high losses and high prices as major obstacles to industrial growth and exports. He said that CPF aims to address these critical issues through a long -term development strategy.
Raiser also stressed that the success of CPF depends on effective cooperation between federal governments and regional governments, enhancing revenue mobilization, and improving efficiency in government spending. He met with Prime Minister Shaybaz Sharif and the major cabinet members to discuss the implementation of the broader framework and economic reforms.
During the visit, the World Bank and the Pakistani government officially launched CPF for FY2026-35, setting six areas of strategic concentration with measurable goals for 10 years. Raiser described the framework as an important step in the World Bank’s participation with Pakistan, where it is in line with the government To the groove of Pakistan The national economic transformation plan.
He expressed his hope that these goals will be a basis for consistent reform efforts to provide concrete benefits to the Pakistani people. In meetings with senior officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishq Dar, Minister of Energy, Mossadik Masoud Malik, Benjab and Khabar Bakhtongua, Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Ali Amin Gandabur, and Razer discussed the immediate steps necessary to translate CPF into developmentable development plans.
While recognizing Pakistan’s progress in economic stability, Raiser emphasized the urgency of policy reforms and decisive measures to ensure continuous and comprehensive growth over the next decade.
