Introduction:
In a move that is read on multiple levels, politically and economically, the World Bank agreed in June 2025 to provide a $146 million grant to support the electricity sector in Syria as part of what is known as the “Emergency Response for Early Recovery of Vital Services” program. Despite the apparent relief nature of the grant, according to an analytical reading, it constitutes an indication that the country has entered the post-war phase as an economic-political field open to conditional investment, especially given the rise of a new authority that administers large areas of the country with a founding spirit different from the traditional authoritarian state model.
This article seeks to analyze the World Bank’s $146 million grant to support the Syrian electricity sector and its investment in rebuilding the electrical infrastructure as a pillar of a productive economy and a stable society, within a new national vision based on governance, justice, and community sovereignty.
Syria’s Electricity Sector: Accumulated losses and critical points:
According to UN data, more than 50 percent of Syria’s electrical infrastructure has been completely or partially destroyed, and the average daily power supply has fallen to less than four hours in most governorates, with almost complete absence in some rural areas.
The seriousness of this lies in its direct impact on GDP indicators, as the manufacturing sector, the agricultural and logistics supply chain, as well as vital service facilities such as hospitals and schools, suffer from high operational costs and poor efficiency, due to heavy reliance on costly alternatives such as private generators and unregulated individual solar energy systems.
In essence, international financial instruments cannot be separated from the political environment in which they operate. Therefore, the World Bank’s decision, despite the continued existence of Western sanctions on political and economic actors inside the country, reflects a gradual repositioning of financial institutions towards Syria, with the adoption of a “funding neutrality” approach where funding focuses on basic service sectors that can be separated from governance structures, from the perspective of governance rather than political loyalty.
However, in the new Syrian context, where the emerging national authority is practicing good governance in areas liberated from the grip of tyranny, this funding can be seen as an implicit recognition of the legitimacy of an alternative administrative model in which sovereignty is manifested through public service rather than decentralized decision-making.
So the chances of this action:
１- Improving the nutrition of industrial and agricultural areas through stable energy.
Reducing the development gap between rural and urban areas.
３- Promoting transparency and community participation in public spending.
４- Paving the way for broader international partnerships once this grant is successfully implemented.
Electricity as an entry point for redefining the social contract:
In political economic thought, the electricity sector represents more than just a technical service; it is an infrastructure for political trust and the clearest indicator of the state’s ability to “produce life.” In the current Syrian experience, the new authority seeks to crystallize a new doctrinal conceptualization that establishes a regulated relationship between the citizen and the authority on the basis of fair service and transparency, not on the equations of security and loyalty.
The judicious use of such a grant represents an opportunity to reshape this contract through spatial distribution, ensuring that electricity reaches rural and marginalized areas that have been deprived of it for years, stimulating local economic activity and reducing the development gap between the center and the periphery.
Implementation challenges: Governance, institutional structure, and transparency:
Despite the importance of funding, the effectiveness of its economic impact depends on a number of determinants, most notably:
１- The efficiency of project management, which requires the existence of technical and administrative institutions in the new authority areas that have the ability to develop executive plans, rationalize spending, and follow up on the stages of implementation according to specific performance indicators.
Integrity and audit safeguards, i.e. developing civilian oversight mechanisms, contract transparency, and mechanisms for community involvement in planning and evaluation.
３- Integrating financing with development infrastructure priorities, such as linking electricity projects with the actual needs of the productive sector, especially small and medium-sized industries that form the backbone of the local economy in northern Syria.
Toward a new philosophy of development and recognition:
Such grants not only improve the electricity consumption index, but also open a broader horizon to talk about a “post-emancipation economy” – an economy in which services are produced not as a favor from the ruler but as an institutionalized right stemming from the national contract.
International acceptance of the channelling of these resources enshrines a different approach to development treatment, based on recognizing performance rather than loyalty, and legitimacy gained from the land rather than declared from the palace.
Conclusion:
Through the above, we see the importance of the World Bank’s funding decision for Syria, and in order to benefit positively from this decision, we at the Economic Office of Syrian Future Movement recommend the following:
- An independent governance framework to manage implementation, involving civil society and local authorities.
- A technical and social needs map to prioritize distribution.
- An electronic follow-up system open to the public enhances transparency and allows for citizen oversight.
- Sustainable post-grant operating models, including partnerships with the local private sector and collaborative initiatives.
The World Bank grant is not just an injection of funds into a corroded network, it is a test of the new state mind! Will it only rebuild power lines, or will it reshape the long-awaited network of legitimacy and contract of trust?
At such a moment, the light from the power grid becomes more than energy, it is proof of the birth of a state from the womb of the shadow.
