TIRANA, Oct. 26 – Japan is assisting the Albanian government in producing digital topographic maps benefitting the sustainable development of the country’s two main regions of Tirana and Durres under a €3 million project.
Introducing the project at a conference held in Tirana this week, Japan’s Ambassador to Albania Makoto Ito said a digital and modern map system as well as a functioning cadastral system will assist Albania’s economic and social development, promote real estate investment and offer incentives to foreign investors. The upgraded systems also guarantee sustainable land management, make getting credit easier, improving the internal liaison of the Albanian economy through infrastructure and information development, the Japanese embassy in Tirana said in a statement.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded project which will be implemented by the Albanian State Authority for Geospatial Information is a huge contribution for the further development of Tirana and Durres, home to about half of the country’s 2.8 million resident population and the country’s main businesses. The two regions are also the key drivers of Albania’s economic growth.
The Japanese government will assist the Albanian State Authority for Geospatial Information, established only four years ago, with technical assistance, know-how, equipment in a bid to promote internal geographical information development.
The project comes as a regional initiative JICA has launched to help Balkan countries develop modern topographical and digital maps.
During the past two decades, the Japanese government has been assisting Albania’s economic development in areas such as energy and infrastructure, agriculture and human resources to create safer, healthier and wealthier local communities.
Japan officially opened its embassy in Tirana last July with Makoto Ito as the first resident ambassador to Albania since the two countries re-established diplomatic relations in 1981.
The world’s third-largest economy has been a major donor to Albania through its difficult transition from communism to a free-market economy. Tokyo has given millions, primarily in the rehabilitation of infrastructure and healthcare facilities. Projects have included a municipal waste-water treatment facility for Tirana and its surroundings.
