BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso told Trend about the Bank's agreement signing plans on upgrading Ganja’s municipal street lighting during her visit to Azerbaijan.
According to her, Ganja is the first Azerbaijani city to have joined the EBRD's Green Cities program in 2020.
“In July 2020, we launched the Green City Action Plan (GCAP) for Ganja. Along with identifying and prioritizing climate change challenges and risks, GCAP also envisages addressing these issues through targeted investments in urban infrastructure and policy actions. Furthermore, the Action Plan is a tool to raise funding for long-term sustainable urban development. Earlier this year, the Bank provided a 10 million euro loan ($10.14 million) to introduce smart waste collection and route optimization systems in Ganja. For more than 300,000 residents of the city, this implies minimizing waste incineration, improving public health and environment, as well as better working conditions for municipal staff," she noted.
Odile Renaud-Basso expressed hope that this would be one of the many investments in Azerbaijan’s green infrastructure.
"The Ganja Street Lighting Project will mean substantial energy-efficiency gains, better road safety, and greater levels of security for the city's residents," she added.
The EBRD president didn't rule out the possibility of implementing the above-mentioned initiative in other cities of Azerbaijan, stressing that EBRD would be happy to explore relevant opportunities.