Armenia’s government on September 3 approved a draft law to ratify a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the “Seismic Safety Improvement-3” programme.
Education, Science, Culture and Sports Minister Zhanna Andreasyan said the programme’s total cost is about $366 mln. Of that amount, around $73 mln will be provided by the Armenian government as co-financing, while $293 mln will come from an ADB loan.
According to the minister, the programme provides for the construction and strengthening of schools in order to improve their seismic safety. Work has already been completed at 30 schools, while projects at 16 more are nearing completion. The programme also calls for launching construction at another 50 schools. The implementation deadline is set for September 30, 2027.
The initiative with ADB began in 2016. Earlier phases covered construction and strengthening works at 46 schools for 20,000 students.
ADB and the Armenian government signed the $293 mln loan agreement on July 17, 2026. The financing is the bank’s third loan under the school seismic safety improvement programme. According to ADB, the new phase includes the reconstruction of 50 additional schools.
ADB data show that from 2005 to October 2025, the bank provided Armenia with more than $2 bln in support, making it one of the country’s largest multilateral development partners. That assistance includes projects in transport, energy, water supply and urban infrastructure, while in the private sector ADB supports utilities and infrastructure, financial institutions and agribusiness.
