On ways to attract capital and accelerate recovery and production plans
Which factors should be weighed in determining where limited public investment should be targeted for humanitarian assistance in 2025?
MOHAMMAD SAFWAT RASLAN: The first priority is to focus on projects that directly affect daily life: electricity, water, transport access and other basic infrastructure. Much of this infrastructure is not only damaged from the past 14 years of conflict and recent earthquakes, but in many cases it had not been upgraded for 30 to 50 years, even before the crises. Without restoring these core services, no sector can move forwards – people will not return to homes without power or water, industries cannot restart and agriculture cannot function.
At the same time, international partners expect clear governance standards before committing funds. That means building high transparency into institutional structures; defining how decisions are made; and speaking the same language as donors in terms of documentation, data and policies. One of the largest current challenges is the lack of reliable national data. Work is under way with ministries and public institutions to gather, verify and standardise this data so that investment plans are based on evidence rather than assumptions. So, allocation decisions must weigh three factors simultaneously to attract capital and accelerate recovery: the urgency of the humanitarian need, the feasibility of implementation under current conditions and the ability to use one intervention to unlock others.
What steps are being taken to stabilise cereal out-put and rural incomes over the next year?
RASLAN: Syria was once heavily dependent on its own agriculture, particularly wheat, but years of electricity shortages, water scarcity and insecurity pushed rural families to leave their land and move towards cities. Stabilising output now depends on enabling people to return and restart production. One approach being prepared is to establish agricultural cooperatives that help farmers access seeds, equipment and tools in a structured way. There is also a discussion of providing no-interest or low-interest financing, allowing farmers to resume activity without incurring unmanageable debt. However, production will not recover unless rural infrastructure is repaired. Electricity for irrigation and basic road access is as crucial as inputs.
How do you view the sequencing of investment, whether in housing and urban services, electricity and infrastructure, or health and education?
RASLAN: Reconstruction is not a linear process; it is circular. You cannot rebuild housing without electricity, and you cannot restore electricity networks if the surrounding infrastructure is missing. Similarly, families will not return to their neighbourhoods unless water, waste collection, schools and health centres are functioning. Rather than treating sectors separately, reconstruction should be clustered – rehabilitating power and water first in targeted zones, followed by housing and public services. Affordable housing is particularly urgent. Prices in Damascus, for example, have reached levels comparable to those of major global cities, simply because there is no supply. Many families are still living in temporary shelters or camps and need formal housing solutions. This creates an opportunity for structured investment partnerships if essential utilities can be guaranteed in step with construction.
What conditions are needed to enable both domestic recovery and meaningful engagement with Syrians abroad or international partners?
RASLAN: Restoring economic activity starts with restoring basic functionality. Without electricity, water, roads and the ability to make payments, no sector – whether agriculture, housing or trade – can recover. Today, people rely on costly alternatives because the grid is unstable, and even when travel or business is possible, transactions have to be made in cash because debit cards and international transfers are not reliable.
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