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joint appraisal to support the creation of a leading integrated telecoms operator in Ukraine through the merger of Datagroup-Volia, a national fixed telecoms leader, and Lifecell, the country’s fastest-growing mobile operator. The landmark deal for Ukraine would entail potential joint financing of up to US$ 435 million to support the expansion and improvement of telecommunications infrastructure.
· The Bank joined the SME Resilience Alliance, an initiative launched by the conference’s German organisers.
· Lastly, the EBRD is partnering with Endeavor Global to launch Endeavor Ukraine. The organisation’s Ukrainian chapter will support high-impact entrepreneurs through mentoring, networking and investment opportunities, promoting an entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is crucial for a vibrant private sector and long-term economic growth.
To support Ukraine’s cities and regions as they grapple with the fallout from the war, the EBRD signed two municipal transactions and four pre-financing agreements worth a total of €143 million, under the conference’s local and regional heading, as well as MoUs for regional transport and water infrastructure projects.
● The EBRD is lending a financial package of €25 million to the port city of Mykolaiv to repair its water infrastructure. The package includes a €10 million grant component provided by Denmark and a €5 million grant from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P).
● The Bank is lending €15 million, which includes an EU component, to Lutsk to upgrade its district heating system.
● Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, which has come under heavy Russian attack in recent months, was one of three municipalities along with Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih to sign pre-financing agreements for the provision of emergency liquidity to maintain vital services. The Kharkiv project will also include an EU component. A fourth pre-financing agreement was signed with the city of Zhytomyr for a public transport project.
● MoUs were also signed with Ukrainian Railways and the Ministry of Infrastructure for a potential €300 million project in which the EBRD would provide co-financing for the purchase of electric locomotives, and with the Ministry to support the regional water sector.
● The Bank joined the Coalition for Sustainable Municipalities.
Under the umbrella of human capital, the EBRD, Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and Sweden’s Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) launched a new Human Capital Resilience Charter to help employers in Ukraine support returnee workers and veterans in meeting the challenges they face in the wartime labour market. The EBRD also joined the Skills Alliance for Ukraine as well as the Alliance on Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery.
Lastly, the Bank reconfirmed its deepening partnership with USAID by signing
22 UKRAINE Country Report July 2024 www.intellinews.com