Dhaka to seek more IDA assistance for infrastructure development

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Economic Reporter :
The World Bank (WB) and International Development Association (IDA) will begin their IDA-18 meeting in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw today (Tuesday) where Bangladesh is joining to seek more assistance for infrastructure development.
The country for the first time is attending the meeting known as IDA-18 where the WB and its donor partners discuss mobilisation of the fund and its utilisation globally.
“The meeting, held once in three years, will have discussion on the aid package, which will be provided by the World Bank through IDA in the next three years,” WB Dhaka office spokesperson Mehreen A Mahbub told media.
She said at the meeting the 50 donor members of the IDA would take decision on the assistance for the next three years to its member countries.
A two-member team, headed by Senior Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), Mohammad Mejbahuddin, will participate in the four-day meeting, which will end on Friday.
An ERD official said Bangladesh would seek more assistance from WB to improve its road infrastructure, energy sector and regional connectivity.
The official did not give any specific amount for the expected financial assistance, but said that the amount would be more than what the WB gave Bangladesh in the past three years after IDA-17 meeting.
Bangladesh in the past three years received around $4.36 billion from the WB under the IDA-17 aid package.
At the IDA-17 meeting, held in 2013, the WB finalised an aid package of $52.1 billion for assisting development activities in different countries around the world.
The WB’s key donors are: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and some other developed and developing countries including the United Kingdom, the USA, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Japan.
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