TA/CRITICAL IMPORTS

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The Technical Assistance - Critical Imports Loan Project is expected to support the ongoing economic reform program. The project will provide: i) technical assistance to support the ongoing economic reform process in the formulation and implementation of macroeconomic and sectoral policy programs and ii) foreign exchange for the import of essential spare parts and equipment to the irrigation, telecommunications, power, lignite, petroleum, gas and transportation sectors. The project includes a technical assistance (TA) and an import component. The TA component will support: a) national macroeconomic management to prepare fiscal and legal reforms; b) strategy formulation and pricing reforms in the energy sector, sectoral restructuring programs in the industrial sector and support for the privatization of industrial enterprises, services and housing; c) establishment of an efficient service to administer unemployment benefits, improve labor market information; d) strategic studies and assessments for computer requirements for commercial banks; and e) sector studies in the irrigation and energy sectors. The imports component will provide spare parts and equipment financing for: the transportation sector, two major power plants, the lignite mines, petroleum and gas wells, the telecommunications system, irrigation system and agricultural machinery.