In Tirana’s student city – a student campus area in south-east Tirana – 19 dormitories will undergo energy-efficiency renovation based on structural energy audits, and at least three new buildings will be built. The project is part of the Student City I Masterplan and has been made possible thanks to a €4.78 million grant from the European Union through the Western Balkans Investment Facility (WBIF) and €21 million provided by the German Federal Government through the KfW Development Bank. The agreement for this investment was signed on 3 November by the Minister of Finance and Economy of Albania, Delina Ibrahimaj, and the Director of the KfW Office in Tirana, Brit Horschke.

The WBIF is an EU-led donor investment platform that pools grants with implementing partner financing to support EU enlargement and socio-economic development in the region. It was launched in December 2009 with the purpose of delivering finance and technical assistance for strategic investments.