32476 - Telecom Development Company Afghanistan

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Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Number

32476

Company Name

TELECOM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY AFGHANISTAN LTD

Date ESRS Disclosed

Nov 20, 2012

Country

Afghanistan

Region

Middle East

Last Updated Date

Oct 31, 2025

Environmental Category

B - Limited

Status

Completed

Previous Events

Approved : Jan 17, 2013
Signed : Feb 14, 2013
Invested : Feb 21, 2013

Sector

Mobile Telephony

Industry

Telecommunications and Technology

Department

Regional Industry INF MCT

Project Description

IFC will provide a senior loan of up to US$65 million to finance the Company’s acquisition of a 3G license, capital expenditures to roll-out the 3G network and community facilities, and capital to make debt repayments. Social responsibility is built into many parts of the overall business model.

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

The review of this project consisted of a meeting and interview by IFC staff with management of the Telecom Development Company Afghanistan (“Roshan” or the “Company”), and appraisal by IFC of technical, environmental and social information submitted by submitted by Roshan, including documentation on Site Acquisition and Negotiation and Site Owner Issues Handling, an Employee Handbook, and a Construction Contract.

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

While all Performance Standards are applicable to this investment, IFCs environmental and social due diligence indicates that the investment will have impacts which must be managed in a manner consistent with the following Performance Standards. If IFCs investment proceeds, IFC will periodically review the the project’s ongoing compliance with the Performance Standards

PS 1 – Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
PS 2 - Labor and working conditions
PS 3 - Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention
PS 4 – Community Health, Safety and Security
If IFC’s investment proceeds, IFC will periodically review the the project’s ongoing compliance with the Performance Standards

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Roshan has policies and procedures for environmental and social management in the development and operations of various facilities, including the management of key contractors. The main documentation of those policies and procedures consists of an Employee Handbook, documentation on Site Acquisition/Negotiation and Site Owner Issues Handling, as well as environmental and social terms in agreements that the Company signs with key contractors.

Under IFC’s investment, Roshan will improve its policies and procedures as documented and implemented, including procedures for selection, construction, and management of all sites in compliance with IFC Performance Standards and EHSS Guidelines, and procedures for management of Roshan employees as well as management of key contractors.

Roshan outsources activities in the development and operation of various facilities to reputable companies with high quality management standards. Roshan will develop documentation of procedures for screening and selecting key contractors and suppliers, and procedures for Roshan staff to monitor compliance of environmental and social terms in agreements with key contractors. This will include key contractors for Roshan’s telecom sites and also for the community facilities that it develops. Roshan will require improvement in the event that non-compliance with environmental or social terms in an agreement with any such contractor is identified, and will consider terminating any contractor in the event of non-compliance.

According to Roshan’s Site Acquisition/Negotiation procedures, the Company maps potential sites according to transmission needs, and then considers the best three potential sites in each searched area. Risks and impacts are subsequently identified and assessed relating to each potential site. Roshan has not developed any sensitive site or any site where economic or physical displacement of people might be required, and has no plan to develop any such site.

According to Roshan’s Site Owner Issues Handling documentation, discussions are held with owners of potential sites to ensure that any concerns of landlords are resolved. If owners and local community members do not agree on a site, then the Company will engage with them, but ultimately will not proceed if owners and local community members do not agree. Under IFC’s investment, Roshan will revise its documented procedures to ensure that they provide clarity on compliance with IFC Performance Standards and Telecommunications Guidelines.

The Company will ensure prior disclosure of the development of new facilities. Roshan will always decline to acquire or develop any site that would require physical or economic displacement of local community members.

Roshan’s policies and procedures will ensure that the company manages all relevant functions covered in IFC’s PS2 through PS8. The company will always obtain all relevant local permits prior to constructing or operating any n
ew facility.

Stakeholder Engagement

Social responsibility efforts are integral to the Company, as Roshan aims to help drive reconstruction in Afghanistan by constructing and then donating health and education facilities to local communities. The Company has demonstrated its commitment to support local communities through its building of eight schools to date, as well as a health clinic, a gymnasium, a youth sports center, computer laboratories and centers, playgrounds, and solar power facilities. Roshan also uses local community members to provide security at its sites as part of its community engagement program.

Under IFC’s investment, Roshan will always provide prior local disclosure by posting at least one sign at each new construction site at least three days prior to the start of construction. This local disclosure will cover the construction of community facilities and transmission lines, as well as telecom, office, warehouse, and retail sites.

Roshan will engage with local community members as needed on visual impacts and noise, as well as electromagnetic impacts, according to IFC’s standards. The Company will take into account public perception about visual impacts and noise during the siting process of all the types of facilities that it constructs, including telecom facilities, office and warehouse spaces, community facilities, and transmission lines.

Under IFC’s investment, Roshan will further develop the Company’s policy and procedures for disclosure of relevant information to local community members relating to construction of new sites. Roshan will always be committed to following up on complaints from community members until they are resolved. If a substantial number of community members complain about the same issue, and circumstances indicate that a meeting for Roshan to engage with community members may be useful, then Roshan will organize such a meeting.

The Company will continuously make available information to community members on electromagnetic radiation from tower sites as needed, consistent with IFC’s Telecommunications Guidelines.

Broad Community Support

Environmental & Social Action Plan

**Information on IFC's Policy and Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability can be found at www.ifc.org/sustainability

IFC supports its clients in addressing environmental and social issues arising from their business activities by requiring its real sector clients to set up and administer appropriate grievance mechanisms and/or procedures to address complaints from Affected Communities in relation to environmental and social issues arising from IFC's clients' business activities. Since 2012, IFC's Financial Intermediary clients applying the Performance Standards are required to develop External Communications Mechanisms to receive and review inquiries or complaints from any interested party regarding the E&S risks and impacts of their operations.

For IFC projects that are active or under consideration, individual(s), or their authorized representative(s), who allege they have been or will be adversely affected by E&S risks or impacts arising from IFC's clients' business activities, may submit a complaint to IFC directly for consideration. When receiving an E&S complaint, IFC engages with complainants and works with its clients to find solutions to E&S concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Complaints can be submitted to IFC online at www.ifc.org/escomplaints or by email to EScomplaints@ifc.org.

IFC complaint response is separate from and complementary to IFC’s clients’ project level grievance mechanisms and IFC’s Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO). Lodging a complaint directly with IFC does not, at any time, restrict access to CAO.

Affected communities have unrestricted access to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent accountability mechanism for IFC and MIGA. CAO facilitates the resolution of complaints related to IFC and MIGA projects and sub-projects, undertakes reviews of IFC’s and MIGA’s environmental and social compliance, fosters public accountability for their commitments, and enhances the environmental and social performance of IFC and MIGA.

Independent of IFC and MIGA management and reporting directly to the IFC and MIGA Boards of Executive Directors, CAO helps resolve issues raised about the environmental and social impacts of projects through a neutral, collaborative, problem-solving approach via its Dispute Resolution function. It also reviews IFC’s and MIGA’s compliance with environmental and social policies, assesses related harm, and recommends remedial actions through its Compliance function. Additionally, CAO provides advice to IFC, MIGA, and their Boards to enhance environmental and social sustainability performance and minimize the risk of harm.

Complaints may relate to environmental and social harm regarding any aspect of the planning, implementation, or impact of a project or sub-project, and can be made by any individual, group, community, entity, or other party affected or likely to be affected by the environmental or social impacts of an IFC- or MIGA-financed business activity.

Complaints can be submitted by any of the following methods:

Online form: available at https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/
Mail/Hand Delivery to: 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA
Voice mail: +1 202 458 1973
Email: cao@worldbankgroup.org
SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal: +1 202 650 2627

CAO receives and addresses complaints in accordance with the CAO Policy, which can be accessed at: https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/policies-guidelines.

This Environmental and Social Review Summary (ESRS) is prepared by IFC to disclose its findings and recommendations related to environmental and social considerations regarding potential investments. Its purpose is to enhance the transparency of IFC's activities. For any project documentation or data included or attached herein, whether prepared by the project sponsor or otherwise, authorization has been given for public release by the project sponsor. IFC considers that this ESRS is of adequate quality for release to the public, but has not necessarily independently verified all of the project information therein.
It is distributed in advance of IFC Board of Directors' consideration and may be periodically updated thereafter. Board dates are estimates only and this document should not be construed as presuming the outcome of the Board Directors’ decision. The following ESRS is disclosed in accordance with IFC's Access to Information Policy (AIP).

The map is for illustrative purposes and does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the World Bank, concerning the legal status of any country or territory or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries. Country borders or names do not necessarily reflect the World Bank Group's official position. In some cases, available project location information is limited to the country of the project's activities. Locations are approximate.

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Environmental & Social Review Summary

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Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Stakeholder Engagement

Broad Community Support

Environmental & Social Action Plan

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Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Description

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

Identified Applicable Performance Standards

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Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

PS 1: Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts

PS 2: Labor and Working Conditions

PS 3: Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention

PS 4: Community Health, Safety and Security

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