The World Bank reiterated on Tuesday (19), in Baku, its intention to extend urban rehabilitation and redevelopment initiatives to cities along the Lobito Corridor, with estimated financing of 400 million dollars for innovative housing projects.
The information was provided to the Angolan press by the World Bank’s Vice-President for Infrastructure, Valerie Levkov, following a meeting with Angola’s Minister of Public Works, Urbanism and Housing, Carlos Alberto dos Santos.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 13th edition of the World Urban Forum, which runs until the 22nd of this month at the Baku Olympic Stadium.
According to Valerie Levkov, the funding allocation is intended for territorial planning initiatives ranging from resilient infrastructure to sustainable housing construction, urban rehabilitation and redevelopment of cities, with the possibility of extending such actions along the Lobito Corridor.
Valerie Levkov praised the Angolan Government for its “innovative management” of projects, stressing that the World Bank would provide full technical support to ensure a real impact on the lives of families.
Also on Tuesday, Minister Carlos Alberto dos Santos met with the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Anacláudia Rossbach, with whom he discussed relations between Angola and the United Nations agency. He also participated in the ministerial meeting held within the framework of the New Urban Agenda.
The fourth day of the event, scheduled for Wednesday, is reserved for visits to the exhibition area and discussions on sustainable development issues among participants.
Under the theme “Housing for the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities,” the 13th World Urban Forum brings together more than 20,000 participants from 180 countries.
Angola is represented by a delegation led by Minister Carlos Alberto dos Santos, making the country a regular participant in the event, which was first held in 2002 in Nairobi.
The country has participated in several editions, including the 12th edition in Cairo, which focused on sustainable urbanisation and the role of African cities in the future.
