Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — As part of the ninth annual ABII meeting, a session titled "Maximizing Investment Returns: Strategies for Enhancing the Quality of Infrastructure Investments" was held, focusing on value-added financing concepts in the context of infrastructure investments.

Speakers included Yukon Huang, Senior Fellow of the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and member of the ABII International Advisory Council; Dipali Khanna, Vice President for Asia at the Rockefeller Foundation; Rajat Misra, Acting Vice President for Client Regions and Financial Institutions at ABII; Andrew Cross, Chief Financial Officer of ABII; Ahmed Galal, former Minister of Finance of Egypt and ABII MAP member; Murangwa Yusuf, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning of Rwanda; and Prasanna Salyan, Director of the Department of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance of India.

The session concentrated on the synergy between financial support and non-financial assistance, such as technical expertise, capacity building, networking, and innovative solutions. Examples of successful application of these elements in projects were discussed, particularly ABII’s work in India and other member countries, where partnerships helped address climate risks, share knowledge, and conduct capacity-building initiatives.

"Infrastructure projects must be resilient, adaptive, and meet societal needs," noted moderator Yukon Huang, emphasizing the importance of sustainability in project design. "They must also be financially attractive, economically justified, and compliant with environmental and social standards."

Panel participants discussed how value-added financing elements improve project performance, stakeholder engagement, and overall resilience. Challenges such as financial constraints and regulatory complexities were also addressed.

"ABII aims to finance infrastructure that is financially sustainable and economically viable while ensuring that investments do not worsen the country’s debt situation; socially sustainable, taking into account the impact on vulnerable groups and promoting inclusive access to resources; and environmentally sustainable, considering the effects on the environment and natural resources," clarified Andrew Cross, Chief Financial Officer of ABII.

In conclusion, participants proposed strategies to enhance the effectiveness of value-added financing, including strategic alignment with thematic priorities and active engagement with stakeholders.