The OPEC Fund for International Development signed a $30 million loan agreement with Tajikistan to finance the first phase of a road rehabilitation project aimed at strengthening the country’s transport links with China.
The financing will support the rehabilitation of 82.2 kilometers of the Rushan–Varshez corridor, part of the Dushanbe–Kulma–China Border highway and Asian Highway AH66, according to a statement from the OPEC Fund.
The project is expected to improve one of Tajikistan’s most direct road connections with China while strengthening access to markets and essential services in the remote Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region.
The loan was signed alongside the OPEC Fund’s first Country Partnership Framework with Tajikistan, covering 2026 to 2028. The framework identifies energy security, regional connectivity and food security as priority areas for cooperation between the two sides.
“The Rushan–Varshez project demonstrates this partnership in action,” OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said at the signing. “By improving a vital transport link, it will provide communities with more reliable access to essential services while supporting trade and economic opportunity.”
The 235-kilometer Rushan–Varshez corridor is a critical transport route for the region, with about 217,000 people across more than 370 settlements depending on it for access to goods, healthcare, education and markets.
The project is expected to directly benefit about 25,000 people by improving road safety, cutting travel times and providing more reliable year-round access.
The agreement expands cooperation between the OPEC Fund and Tajikistan beyond individual infrastructure projects into a broader three-year development partnership. During his visit, Alkhalifa met Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda and Finance Minister Fayziddin Qahhorzoda to discuss development priorities and opportunities for greater cooperation with both the public and private sectors.
The talks also covered continued OPEC Fund support for the Rogun Hydropower Plant and potential future cooperation in water and energy efficiency.
The road investment comes as Tajikistan seeks to strengthen regional connectivity and improve transport infrastructure linking its remote eastern regions with domestic and international markets. The OPEC Fund said the rehabilitation will help improve the reliability of a corridor that connects central and eastern parts of the country with China.
