Oleksii Kuleba at the World Bank conference: development of transport infrastructure is key to Ukraine’s economic recovery

The Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba took part in the 23rd annual international World Bank conference Transforming Transportation dedicated to the recovery and development of transport infrastructure.

During his speech, he thanked international partners, governments, international organizations, civil society and business for supporting Ukraine. He also highlighted the partnership with the World Bank and the personal efforts of the World Bank Managing Director of Operations Anna Bjerde.

Together with the World Bank, Ukraine is implementing a number of important projects. In particular, RELINC is aimed at restoring and modernizing key logistics links and transport infrastructure, while the DRIVE project focuses on increasing the resilience, safety and efficiency of the road network.

With the support of the World Bank, a study on the workforce shortage in the transport sector was also conducted. According to its results, Ukraine may need more than 100,000 new workers in the field of road and urban transport alone over the next five years, including around 50,000 drivers.

The Ministry has already launched programs for retraining women and veterans to work in the transport sector.

“Despite all the challenges, we continue not only to restore infrastructure but also to develop the transport system together with our international partners. Ukraine has managed to reorient logistics routes, expand cooperation with partners, create new export corridors and ensure the continuous operation of key transport enterprises,” said Oleksii Kuleba.

At the same time, transport infrastructure is experiencing destruction every day. According to the RDNA5 assessment prepared jointly with the World Bank, the direct damage to the transport sector amounts to USD 40.3 billion, economic losses – USD 58.9 billion, and recovery and reconstruction needs for the next decade are estimated at USD 96.3 billion.

According to Oleksii Kuleba, the development of transport infrastructure is a key element of Ukraine’s economic recovery. It contributes to the creation of new jobs, the restoration of business activity and the strengthening of social cohesion.

One of the key instruments for modernizing the sector is the development of public-private partnership mechanisms. Currently, priorities include the preparation and implementation of new projects in the maritime sector, road infrastructure, railway sector, airports and water supply systems.

The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development also pays special attention to the digitalization of infrastructure project management. In particular, the DREAM ecosystem is being implemented, which ensures the management of public investments at all stages in accordance with high standards of transparency and accountability. The eCherha system is also operating – an electronic border crossing queue for carriers, which allows waiting times at border crossing points to be optimized. In addition, a digital electronic consignment note system has been launched.