World Bank gives Lebanon $200 million to repair roads

The international lender said in a statement that the funds will be used to repair around 500 kilometres (312 miles) of roads in the first phase of a broader government plan "to revamp the country's crumbling road sector.

It said the Roads and Employment Project was approved on Monday by its board of directors.

Ferid Belhaj, the World Bank's Middle East director, said the project would "help Lebanon continue to offer basic services both to its citizens and to Syrian refugees in the country.

"By hosting refugees, Lebanon is offering the international community a global public good. International financial support needs to increase to match its generosity."

Lebanon is home to some 1.2 million Syrian refugees, the equivalent of a quarter of its own population.

The presence of refugees has put even more pressure on the country's already strained infrastructure. It has also fuelled social tensions and altered the labour market – increasing the workforce by 35 percent.

The World Bank believes the road repair works could help provide jobs for more low-skilled workers.

"Historically, the construction sector has been a primary source of income for poorer Lebanese and Syrians," stated Ziad El Nakat, Senior World Bank Transport Specialist. "And it continues to play this role."

Lebanon also has one of the highest rates of accidents per capita in the world. In 2015, the World Health Organisation recorded over 1,000 fatal road traffic accidents.

The roads repair project would "also improve the quality and safety of the road network, particularly in less developed regions of the country, improving connectivity, reducing the cost of transport, and helping local economies develop through better access to markets and services," El Nakat said.