USAID works to strengthen Afghanistan’s basic infrastructure; increase access to reliable electricity; design and build roads, schools, and hospitals.

USAID/Afghanistan

Our Work

USAID helps Afghans to increase access to electricity and potable water; and design, build, and maintain roads, schools, clinics, and hospitals. Security threats, forbidding geography, and shortages of trained technicians all present challenges. USAID is supporting the Government of Afghanistan's efforts to operate and maintain existing infrastructure, invest in expanding access to electricity, and stimulate private sector investment in infrastructure development.

Major Highlights

• USAID helped Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS)— Afghanistan National Power Utility—to bring an additional 313.5 megawatts to Afghanistan’s national power grid, enabling the utility to increase its customer base by 73 percent from 2010 to 2016.
• USAID constructed over 2,000 kilometers of roads, including the Afghanistan Ring Road from 2003 to 2016.
• Since 2008, USAID provided clean water to more than two million Afghans.

Recent Highlights

• In December 2018, USAID signed an interagency partnership agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide quality assurance and engineering services for the North East Power System and South East Power System (SEPS) substations and SEPS completion projects.
• With USAID support, DABS is constructing approximately 380 kilometers of 220 kilowatts transmission line between Ghazni and Kandahar to extend the national electrical grid to southern Afghanistan.

Energy

Both USAID and the Government of Afghanistan recognize that access to electricity drives economic growth. USAID continues to partner with the Government of Afghanistan and the private sector to expand and increase access to reliable and affordable energy for Afghan citizens and businesses across the country.

Roads

Since 2003, USAID invested in the construction and rehabilitation of more than 2,000 kilometers of roads to propel travel and commerce, including Afghanistan’s Ring Road, which connects the country’s five major cities: Herat, Kabul, Kandahar City, Jalalabad, and Mazar-e-Sharif. USAID is now protecting its investments by providing emergency repairs to roads damaged by insurgent activities and natural disasters to ensure that strategic commercial corridors remain open.

Water and Sanitation

Since 2008, USAID and the Government of Afghanistan provided reliable clean water for the first time to more than two million Afghans and nearly 1.5 million people gained access to improved sanitation through community led solutions that prevent the spread of disease. USAID, in partnership with the Governments of Afghanistan, Germany, and France, is building water infrastructure to improve water quality and supply for Kabul residents.

Buildings

USAID funded the design and construction of hundreds of hospitals, clinics, midwife and teacher-training centers, high schools, university residences, and government office buildings across Afghanistan.

Current Projects: