Kabul, Dec 2 (Sputnik) – The World Bank has halted the disbursement of support funds to Afghanistan until it shares banking sector data with the international lender, according to a letter seen by Sputnik.
“We would … expect to disburse US$180 million out of a total allocated US$200 million as soon as banking sector data is shared,” the letter, addressed to President Ashraf Ghani, read.
The World Bank pledged funding totaling $200 million in July to help the struggling Central Asian economy take care of vulnerable people and businesses that had been hit disproportionately by the pandemic.
In a letter dated November 23, the bank said its operational guidelines required it to assess the adequacy of Afghanistan’s macroeconomic policy framework by looking at a “range of basic data,” before unlocking the funds.