World Bank Official Calls on Afghanistan to Fight Corruption, Provide Services

03 June 2008 -- A top World Bank official says the institution is committed to building a prosperous and stable Afghanistan but the people must do their part by fighting corruption and improving services.

World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala just concluded a three-day visit to Afghanistan in which she met with President Hamid Karzai, Cabinet ministers and members of the donor community.

In a statement issued Tuesday Okonjo-Iweala says much has been accomplished in Afghanistan in a short amount of time and she called on the international community to support the nation and its development.

But she said that only Afghans can develop Afghanistan and it is up to them to tackle the difficult issues of building institutions, fighting corruption and delivering services to ordinary citizens.

Okonjo-Iweala made the visit to Afghanistan a head of an international donor conference for Afghanistan to be held June 12 in Paris.

At the conference, Afghanistan's government plans to ask international donors for $50 billion in aid, to fund security and development in the war-torn country.

Afghan officials say they will present a 5,000-page national development strategy, designed to resolve many of the current inefficiencies in the aid process.

Source: VOA News