A major new phase of cooperation is taking shape as Uzbekistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) agree on a multi-billion-dollar development program aimed at transforming key sectors over the coming years.

The announcement followed high-level talks in Samarkand between Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and ADB President Masato Kanda, where both sides reviewed a strategic partnership roadmap extending to 2030, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

Under the new framework, the cooperation program envisions projects worth around $12.5 billion, focusing on long-term economic growth and structural reforms.

Priority areas include support for the housing mortgage market, expansion of the private sector, and stronger backing for youth and women-led entrepreneurship. Reducing poverty and strengthening human capital development were also highlighted as central goals.

The agenda further emphasizes digital transformation, modernization of infrastructure in special economic zones, and education sector reforms. Both sides also discussed increasing ADB’s role in financing major regional infrastructure projects across Central Asia.

The meeting concluded with the formal exchange of documents for the new partnership program through 2030. Currently, the total portfolio of joint Uzbekistan-ADB projects stands at nearly $16 billion, making the country one of the bank’s largest partners in the region.