EBRD finances waste management improvements in Ganja

EBRD to invest €10 million in upgrading solid waste management systems Ganja is the first city in Azerbaijan to join the EBRD Green Cities urban sustainability programme The €5 billion programme is helping its 56 member cities to become better places to live

More than 300,000 people living in Azerbaijan’s second-largest city stand to benefit from improvements in their urban environment thanks to a partnership between Ganja City Executive Power and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

In agreements signed today between the EBRD’s First Vice President Jurgen Rigterink, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov and the Head of Ganja City Executive Power Niyazi Bayramov, the Bank committed to invest in improving the city’s solid waste collection infrastructure. The project is part of Ganja’s engagement in the EBRD Green Cities programme and will trigger the development of a Green City Action Plan (GCAP).

The €10 million loan will be used to introduce smart waste collection and route optimisation systems. New container types, enhancement of the current fleet, and introduction of greener vehicles will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the city’s municipal services. Today’s agreement will also pave the way for a follow-on project that will complete the solid waste management improvements by way of a new modern regional sanitary landfill.

By expanding and enhancing the coverage of waste collection services, uncontrolled waste burning can be kept to a minimum, which will in turn protect public health and the general environment. These measures also aim to improve working conditions for the communal services employees.

The €5 billion EBRD Green Cities programme helps member cities to identify, prioritise and tackle their most pressing environmental challenges by developing a tailor-made GCAP and making targeted investments to address each city’s urban challenges. Ganja joined the programme in 2020. To date there are 56 cities in the Green Cities network.

Cities account for 70 per cent of energy use and 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and so offer a great opportunity to tackle climate change and environmental degradation. This is particularly true of cities in the EBRD regions, where obsolete urban infrastructure is eroding the quality of life, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing communities from adapting to climate change.

The EBRD is an important institutional investor in Azerbaijan. To date the Bank has invested over €3.5 billion through 181 projects there. The Bank’s strategy in the country focuses on helping Azerbaijan to diversify its economy and develop the private sector in non-oil sectors.