The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia aims to help bring economic prosperity to every region in the country and to upgrade Georgia’s infrastructure to support continued growth. Decentralization is one priority. Ramaz Nikolaishvili, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, explains, “We want to strengthen our municipalities by giving them more responsibilities and to have more independence in building their regions. We have received huge support from a variety of donors.”
Improving Georgia’s road and railway infrastructure is a priority in the ministry’s drive to connect the country’s regions and position Georgia as a key transport hub.
In this regard construction of the East-West Highway connecting Azerbaijan and Armenia with Turkey and the Black Sea area is underway. Finalisation of the Highway will support integration of Georgia in the Pan-European transport network and increase transit capacity of the country.
Another major project is “Baku-Tbilisi-Kars” new railway line. Construction of this new railway line is one of the key infrastructure projects in the Caucasus region.
Construction and rehabilitation works of the railway line on the Georgian territory will be finalised by 2012. Ramaz Nikolaishvili explains, “Realisation of the project will attract new cargo and passenger flow, decrease the transportation time and improve competitiveness of transport corridor passing through Georgia. As a result, “Baku-Tbilisi-Kars” new railway line will facilitate development of the whole Caucasus region.”
The ministry is modernising tourist infrastructure on the Black Sea coast and in the mountainous regions of Georgia in order to support tourism development. “We are building new roads and improving water supply and sanitation systems in the regions to support tourism development,” Minister Nikolaishvili points out.
In Kutaisi new buildings of the Government and the Parliament of Georgia, designed by a Spanish architect, are being built. These new headquarters reflect Georgia’s forward thinking attitudes and emphasis on the solidarity of all its regions. “The ceiling of the new Parliament building is actually ‘green’, filled with plants, and the predominant design is a map of Georgia, showing how all regions fit together,” Minister Nikolaishvili says.
The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure welcomes foreign investors to Georgia. Outstanding attractions of the country include its success in ease of doing business its very business friendly government, and the support the country has received from international financial institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, the European Investment Bank, the German Development Bank (KFW). These achievements are duly reflected in a number of international ratings. For instance according to the World Bank/IFC Doing Business report for 2011 Georgia’s was identified as the best reformer worldwide for the years 2005-2010. Ramaz Nikolaishvili concludes, “We want Georgia to grow and we want the private sector to be also a part of that growth. All the regional development and infrastructure projects we are planning are open to foreign private investors, and we welcome investors to take part in the projects which are implemented via international tenders announced by the Ministry.”
