ISLAMABAD: While the Asian Development Bank is yet to finalise its Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Pakistan for 2014-18, it has announced an interim plan for six sectors to which its assistance will continue.

Energy and transport; agriculture and natural resources; rural development; water supply and other urban infrastructure and services; finance; and public sector management have been identified as the areas to which the ADB assistance will continue.

The interim CPS supplements the Country Operations Business Plan to extend the validity of the CPS covering the 2009-13 period until its endorsement for 2015-19, according to the strategy document a copy of which has been obtained by Dawn.

The ADB has deferred finalisation of the new CPS to synchronise with that of the government’s development plan. The government approved its long-term ‘Vision 2025’ strategy in May and currently finalising the medium-term development plan for 2014-18. It is expected that the new CPS will be approved by the ADB’s board of directors in the first quarter of 2015.

Dwelling upon the development challenges being faced by the country, the ADB’s document notes that some of the main constraints to achieve growth rate are macro-economic instability, inadequate infrastructure and connectivity; deficient governance and institutions; inadequate skills of the labour force and poor health services; limited access to finance; and security challenges.

Published in Dawn, November 18th , 2014