Capacity building assistance in the hydropower and mining project discussed
(KPL) High-ranking officials of Ministry of Energy and Mines met World Bank and AusAID—main donors to disseminate the project detail and discuss to initial the technical assistance for capacity building the hydropower and mining sectors project in the next four years.
The hydropower and mining sectors have currently grown and contributed to the national economy by 12 per cent of GDP in 2010 and expected to increase up to 15 per cent by 2015.
This sectors growth is also expected to climb to 30 per cent by 2020, according to the statement of Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Mr. Somboune Resasombath at a workshop for the technical assistance for capacity building in the hydropower and mining sectors project in Vientiane last Friday.
The technical assistance for capacity building the hydropower and mining sectors project was granted US$8 million by the World Band and US$3 million by Australian Agency for International Development.
The project will be run from 2010 to 2014, aiming at increasing human resource capacity, improving regulations, performance of government oversight institutions, curriculum, learning centre, lab and other.
Participants discussed and go further in details for each project main component such as joint hydropower and mining learning programme, hydropower sector development, mining sector development, and project administration and management.
The participants have joined discussion, consultation in order to identify the project direction and achieve the project goals through the encouragement to all implementing agencies including the competency of officials, the capacity of agencies in the hydropower and mining sectors at the certain level.
In the past, it is envisaged that the importance and necessity for capacity building the hydropower and mining sector which could contribute to the strategy development plan in the hydropower and mining sectors up to year 2020.
As a result, the Ministry of Energy and Mines in collaboration with the World Bank jointly prepared the Project Document Appraisal supported by the World Bank under the Project Preparation Advance Fund.
The appraisal was completed by December 2009 and subsequently approved and the financing agreement was then officially signed between Lao government and World Bank on February 2010 in the total amount of US$8 million equivalent.
In addition, the AusAID also confirmed to add AU$3 million to the project thereafter.
The energy and mining sectors are one of the main sources for the national budget, which averaged its growth of 20 per cent during 2006-2010.
Presently, there are 70 large energy projects and 154 mining project are on operation in Laos.
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