Grand Infrastructure Projects and Ukraine's Future, Explained

What You Need To Know:

✅ The year 2016 has been remarkable for Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure, according to Minister Volodymyr Omelyan who says his team dedicated the last year of their work to saving the country;

✅ Omelyan says his ministry implements the best anti-corruption practices;

✅ “The Ministry of Infrastructure is the only Ministry which has two independently selected CEOs getting market-based salaries;”

✅ “I believe only mega infrastructure projects can move a country forward.”

The year 2016 has been remarkable for Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure, according to Minister Volodymyr Omelyan who says his team dedicated the last year of their work to saving the country.  “We are changing the system, we are changing the rules, we are changing the people,” he says, adding that only good professionals can build a transparent and sustainable system to rule and run a country.  Omelyan says his ministry also implements the best anti-corruption practices.

One of the biggest accomplishments in the Ministry of Infrastructure, however, was convincing the Government to change its attitude on state assets and enterprises and paying qualified individuals a decent wage: “The Ministry of Infrastructure is the only Ministry which has two independently selected CEOs getting market-based salaries.” This is a first for the country and Omelyan expects better salaries for his entire team in the near future, thanks to recent heightened cooperation with the European Commission.

Having invested 40 billion Hryvnias into the European Cup Football Championship back in 2012, many are skeptical about future mega events in the country, notably Eurovision, scheduled to take place in Ukraine in 2017.  “I believe only mega infrastructure projects can move a country forward,” says Omelyan, adding that a record sum of 50 million Euros allocated to infrastructure projects surrounding the Eurovision event is a good start, and that it can attract long term investment and bring a new corporate culture to Ukraine.

Hromadske’s Andriy Kulykov and Guest Host Marta Dyczok spoke to Volodymyr Omelyan, Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure on August 10th, 2016 in Kyiv.