Tonga receives multi-million grants for energy and social services [1]
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 - 23:10
Multi-million dollar grants for Tonga, aimed at developing clean renewable energy sources, and also to improve the delivery of social services, were signed by the ADB Director General for the Pacific, Ms Carmela Locsin and the ADB Executive Director Mr Syurkani Ishak Kasim on behalf of the Government of Tonga at the ADB’s headquarters in Manila on 16 September.
The USD$44.6 million grants to help Tonga shift from a heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels to clean renewable energy sources was funded with grants provided by the Asian Development Bank, the Green Climate Fund GCF, and the Government of Australia.
The second grant of Aus$400,000, to enable the Tongan government to improve the delivery of Social Services in Nuku’alofa was also signed on the same day by Ms Locsin and Mr Kasim, on the behalf of the Tongan Government.
According to an ADB statement the Australian government's AUD$400,000 grant was as additional financing for an on going ADB project to improve the delivery of social services in Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa.