SUMMING-UP 2024// Centru Regional Development Agency: year full of achievements, important projects for Moldova's central region

Chisinau, 14 January /MOLDPRES/ - The 2024 year was one full of achievements for the Centru Regional Development Agency (ADR Centru), With sustained efforts and solid cooperation, the Agency implemented important projects which significantly contributed to the removal of the regional disparities and improvement of the living standards of the residents from the Centru Region.   
„Beginning with the drinking water and revival of the infrastructure, up to the support of tourism and energy optimization of public institutions, each initiative had a direct and visible impact on the residents from the region,’’ ADR Centru said.  
Thus, in 2024, ADR Centru managed 23 regional projects, totaling over 247 million lei, with support of Moldova’s government and international development partners.  
In the last year, the ADR Centru team sped up the works on the water mains, which will improve the access to a source of drinking water to a string of settlements from the districts of Ungheni, Nisporeni and Hancesti. A significant achievement was also the signing of the contract for the construction of the water main Chisinau-Straseni-Calarasi – an ambitious project which will ensure the access to water for tens of thousands of residents from the region.  
"This project is a major step to the improvement of the water infrastructure from the region, having a direct impact on people’s health and well-being,’’ the director of ADR Centru, Ion Pinzari, said.   
At the same time, the Centru Region has an outstanding tourist potential and ADR Centru significantly invested in the consolidation and modernization of the tourist infrastructure. The completion of the works at the Old Orhei Cultural and Nature Reserve turned this object into a modern attraction point, prepared to receive tourists of Moldova and from abroad.   
Also, the Ialoveni city was transformed through the construction of a Summer Theatre, where investments were made in a disadvantaged area of the city, so that the local residents now can enjoy a cultural and entertainment space in open air.
Another priority in the Agency’s work for the last year represented the urban revitalization projects. Among the most visible results of the ADR Centru on this dimension, there is the modernization of the urban infrastructure in the Ungheni city, where ways of access to strategic objects were improved and works on rehabilitation of stairs leading to the Dniester river are underway in Rezina.  
The sports complexes from Soldanesti and Telenesti, under construction, will give residents opportunities to go in for sport in modern conditions. At the same time, in the Hancesti city, the cleaning of the bed of the Cogalnic river and the arrangement of the adjacent area will transform an ignored zone into an attractive and safe area for citizens.
An important project finished in 2024 was the rehabilitation of the regional road L392 Ungheni-Cetireni-Alexeevca, which ensures a better road access and considerably shortens the time and decreases the costs of movement for residents.   
ADR Centru did not limit itself to projects on classical infrastructure. With the support of the German Agency for International Development (GIZ), a project on energy optimization of the Alexei Mateevici Lyceum from the Soldanesti town  was finished. Thus, those 574 pupils and 67 teachers now benefit from a more modern, more comfortable and more energy efficient educational environment.   
The implementation of regional projects was possible due to a complex financing. As much as 124 million lei was allocated from the National Fund for Regional and Local Development (FNDRL), to which 23 million lei was added from beneficiaries’ contributions. Besides, substantial foreign funds were mobilized: 79.6 million lei from the KfW German Development Bank, over 13.8 million lei on behalf of the European Union, through GIZ and 7.3 million lei from the Road Fund.     
In 2024, ADR Centru ensured the sustainability of 15 regional development projects through paying visits to the territory and monitoring of end beneficiaries’ reports.  
On the concerned period, ADR Centru consolidated the mechanism of internal managerial institutional mechanism and also created a database with the principal statistics indicators of development of each settlement of the region and for the regional development projects. It contains detailed indicators, which characterize the living conditions of the population and the level of development of the settlements from the Centru Development Region (RDC).  
In parallel, the Agency put special emphasis on the development of the cooperation relations with development partners active from Moldova. On this period, numerous events were organized, meant to turn to good account the joint achievements, to identify new initiatives and explore opportunities of cooperation. These meetings allowed exchanging experiences, transfer of knowledge and implementation of good practices.   
In 2024, ADR Centru marked 15 years of work. On this period, the Agency implemented over 75 regional projects, contributing to the modernization of water and sewerage systems, rehabilitation of local roads, energy optimization of public institutions and revitalization of urban areas.  
The work of ADR Centru inn 2024 proved once again the importance of the cooperation between authorities, local communities and international partners. Through the projects implemented and initiatives started, the Agency continues its mission to transform the Centru Region in a more prosperous and more attractive place both for the residents and visitors, the quoted source said.