UNB, Dhaka :
The Asian Development Bank has prepared a time-bound action plan in agreement with the government to further enhance the implementation progress of its development projects in Bangladesh to deliver better results for the beneficiaries.
A Country Programming Review Mission of the ADB recently held a meeting with government officials here to review its assisted projects.
Representatives from the line ministries and Project Directors concerned were present at the daylong meeting, jointly chaired by Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Md Mezbahuddin and deputy country director of ADB Oleg Tonkonojenkov.
Talking to UNB, an ERD official said that the meeting decided to act on a time-bound agreed action plan to ensure better outcomes of the ADB-assisted projects for which a draft paper has been prepared in consultation with the line ministries.
He said that the ADB mission will send the draft of the time-bound agreed action plan to ERD and then it would take opinions from the relevant line ministries.
The official said that the ADB-assisted projects would go through joint monitoring as before by the ADB and the government to gear up the implementation progress addressing the obstacles and other impediments.
Contacted, ERD Joint Secretary Saifuddin Ahmed said the meeting highlighted some generic issues like lengthy process in approval of Development Project Proforma (DPP) and problems in land acquisition and in procurement as some of the major issues which are hampering the ADP implementation progress.
Since the disbursement of fund by the Manila-based lending agency was encouraging in the 2013 calendar year, the ERD Joint Secretary, however, said that the Country Programming Review Mission expressed its satisfaction over the pace of disbursement of fund as well as stressed the need for keeping up the momentum.
Saifuddin Ahmed informed the news agency that the new Country Programme Mission of the ADB would sit with the government in May this year to discuss the upcoming projects in Bangladesh.
Besides, the Tripartite Portfolio Review Mission will hold another parley with the government alongside the executing agencies concerned to review the implementation progress of the ADB-assisted projects and finding ways to further gear up the implementation pace.
“With these initiatives, it’s expected that the implementation and monitoring of the ADB-assisted projects would be geared up in Bangladesh,” the ERD Joint Secretary said.
Bangladesh has been a member of ADB since 1973. Since then, ADB has provided Bangladesh with around $15.4 billion in loans and grants, including $872 million in 2013 alone.
ADB’s priority areas for support in Bangladesh include energy, transport, urban infrastructure and water supply and sanitation, education, agriculture and natural resources, and finance sectors. As of 31 December 2013, ADB’s current assistance for Bangladesh included 58 loans (48 projects) with $5.19 billion in total value.
According to the ADB, the Country Operations Business Plan (COBP) 2013-15 is the third COBP under the country partnership strategy (CPS), 2011- 2015. The proposed country operations are consistent with the CPS 2011-2015.
The CPS guides assistance to Bangladesh within Strategy 2020’s priorities of inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable economic growth, and regional cooperation. During the 2014- 2016 programme, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will deepen its support for promoting inclusive growth through creating the conditions for sustained high growth with expanding economic opportunities, and broadened access to these opportunities.
To achieve this objective, the ADB will continue to support investment and reform to boost energy efficiency and access to power, develop railway connectivity, enhance skills and the quality of secondary education, and improve the urban environment, governance, and services-including urban water supply and sanitation.
ADB will also help deepen financial markets, develop climate-resilient rural connectivity, and foster integrated management of water resources, including irrigation and flood and riverbank-erosion mitigation.
To promote regional cooperation and integration, ADB will continue to support transport connectivity, cross-border energy trade, and trade facilitation. Support will also be strengthened for fostering public-private partnerships through capacity and institutional development and developing infrastructure projects. Good governance, capacity development, and gender equity will also receive increased support.
The impact of knowledge management on the 2014-2016 programme will be maximized through enabling policies, stronger institutions, regional best practices, and thematic and sector knowledge work.
Climate change and environmental considerations will be mainstreamed through infrastructure projects programmed during 2014- 2016. ADB will also seek to step up its private sector operations during this period, including expanding the Trade Finance Programme.
