10:39 - 26.08.2026

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August 26, Fineko/abc.az. The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the regional Border Improvement for Long-Term Development (BUILD) program under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) framework. Totaling $400 million, the project aims to reduce transit time and costs along transport corridors.

The project covers 11 countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Pakistan, Mongolia, and China. Under the program, ADB’s financing limit will stand at $385 million, with $15 million in grant resources and a maximum cap of $50 million per individual project. An additional $150 million in co-financing is expected to be mobilized from development partners and specialized trust funds.

Rising cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor and mounting border delays are key drivers behind the initiative. CAREC monitoring data shows that between 2010 and 2024, average border crossing times at road checkpoints increased from 6,3 to 14.1 hours, while rail clearance times rose from 22.1 to 25.5 hours. Beyond physical infrastructure upgrades, the program includes digital solutions such as "single-window" systems and artificial intelligence (AI) for risk management.

Azerbaijan has been an ADB member since 1999, receiving $5.6 billion in investments to date. Under its new partnership strategy, the ADB plans to provide up to $2.5 billion in additional funding to Azerbaijan.