DUSHANBE (TCA) — Tajikistan’s reliance on a narrow export base and remittances, coupled with a widening trade deficit, has made the economy vulnerable to external economic shocks. Diversifying production and exports could improve incomes and economic resilience, and sustain economic growth in the country, says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report, released on April 3.

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DUSHANBE (TCA) — A four-day training programme on the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage (PITCH), organized by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with the support of the Border Management Unit of the OSCE Project Office in Dushanbe, completed in Tajikistan last week.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The University of Central Asia’s (UCA) School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) organised an event on March 28 where 30 alumni of UCA’s entrepreneurship programme pitched business project ideas and competed for financial awards. The eight best pitches received grants from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for further business development. Winning projects include bakery and pastry shops, souvenir production, women’s clothing, and furniture businesses.

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ASHGABAT (TCA) — American ensemble Mariachi Champaña Nevin completed its tour in Turkmenistan with a standing room only concert in Ashgabat on March 29. The ensemble visited Turkmenistan March 24-31 and gave a series of workshops and concerts sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat, the Embassy said on April 2.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — Installing solar panels on foresters’ houses and educating children and youth on sustainability and environmental protection are two recent ways in which Kyrgyzstan, together with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has set about upscaling its sustainable forest management.

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ASHGABAT (TCA) — Authorities in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat prevent the residents from installing satellite aerials on the facades of residential buildings and occasionally order public utilities staff to dismantle the dishes from the walls. As a result, people are now installing the aerials on the ground in front of their houses, independent foreign-based news website Chronicles of Turkmenistan reports.

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