On September 5, local officials and Ghazni community members celebrated the construction of the Ghazni to Gardez Road project with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  “The Ghazni to Gardez Road is the most important project in the entire province,” said Ghazni Provincial Governor Musa Ahmadzai at the event.  “Roads are not just rocks and gravel: they pave the way for the development and growth of our region.”

The 93-kilometer Ghazni to Gardez Road connects two of Afghanistan’s most important provincial capitals.  When completed in summer 2011, the paved road will reduce travel time between these cities from 4 hours to 1.5 hours, creating new trade opportunities and providing better access to essential services for local communities.  In addition, the travel distance from Pakistan to Afghanistan’s Ring Road will be reduced by 500 kilometers.  In rural areas, new business opportunities are crucial for community prosperity and stability.  A trader in Ghazni City said, “I buy my goods in Pakistan.  Travelling on the Ghazni to Gardez Road has become much easier [already].  In the end our whole community will benefit from it.”

The road is funded by USAID as part of the Strategic Provincial Roads (SPR) project, which works with Afghans communities and Afghan construction companies to build high-quality roads across Southern and Eastern Afghanistan.  Not only are local leaders and community members engaged in roads planning, but local construction companies are taking the lead in all aspects of the road building business, from design, planning, and project management to HR, finance, and management.  In addition to Afghan-led road construction, the SPR project also has a community grants component that reaches out to Afghan communities located along the road.  Strategic provincial roads create development corridors across Afghanistan, connecting some of the world’s most remote and isolated communities to the region and to the world.