The World Bank has approved a 180 million dollar grant for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help fund emergency rehabilitation in the African country, said a statement by the Bank on Monday.

The project, which had been in preparation since December 2006, addresses urgent rehabilitation and social needs and hence provides tangible benefits to the Congolese people, especially the poorest, in the capital city of Kinshasa, which is vital to DRC's political and social stability, said the statement.

"This will help speed up the provision to people in Kinshasa of bed nets, as well as access to education and roads," said Pedro Alba, the World Bank Country Director for the DRC, Congo- Brazzaville, Burundi and Rwanda.

The grant is the World Bank's first under a fast-track funding operation, called the rapid response policy.

Under the policy, the World Bank commits to swiftly deliver assistance to countries requesting aid to address an event that has caused, or is likely to cause, a major adverse economic and social impact associated with man-made or natural crises, while ensuring adequate supervision of the resources.