LUSAKA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved a 200-million-U.S.-dollar credit to improve rural roads in six of Zambia's 10 provinces, according to a statement released by the bank's office in Zambia on Monday.
The credit was approved by World Bank's Board of Executive Directors last Thursday to improve rural roads in the southern African nation under the Improved Rural Connectivity Project, which will benefit 460,000 people in the six provinces.
Ina Ruthenberg, World Bank Country Manager for Zambia, said the project was significant for the country as it will improve connectivity in rural areas where poverty levels were high.
"Besides the project providing improved connectivity to schools, markets, health facilities, and jobs for the rural communities, it has the transformed potential of positioning Zambia as the regional food basket, contributing towards economic diversification," she said.
According to the Rural Access Index, only 17 percent of rural populations lives within two kilometers of a good road in Zambia, leaving about 7.5 million rural residents unconnected to the road network, the bank added.
The provinces that are expected to benefit from the project includes Central, Northern, Luapula, Western, Southern an Eastern.
