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Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has called upon the World Bank to take up a joint flagship project for easing communication in Dhaka, by reviving and rehabilitating rivers around the capital city.
During a virtual meeting between a Bangladesh delegation and a World Bank delegation led by World Bank Vice President for South Asia region Hartwig Schafer on Friday evening, the agency assured cooperation in this regard, said a Finance Ministry press release on Saturday.
At the event, Kamal also requested the World Bank delegation to offer more soft-term lending, and boost support for technology transfer and the private sector.
He also informed the World Bank delegation about the skills and efficiency of Bangladesh in project implementation, as well as in repayment of loans.
World Bank Vice President Schafer lauded Bangladesh’s performance in utilising the funding from International Development Association (IDA), as the country receives the highest amount of funding from it.
Schafer termed Bangladesh a role model in the world in utilising this fund and suggested projecting such a feat in the upcoming annual meeting of World Bank-IMF. This will provide support towards ensuring a wider participation of developed countries in the IDA, he added.
Schafer also praised the sustainable plans and attainments of Bangladesh in poverty alleviation, tackling disasters and climate change impacts.
At the meeting, Kamal said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken firm steps to properly run the country’s economy despite the pandemic by providing support to the affected people and businesses.
For this, Bangladesh ranks among the top five tolerant economies of the world as per the surveys of various international organizations, he said.
Finance Division Senior Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder and Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Fatima Yasmnin represented Bangladesh at the virtual meeting. World bank Country Director for Bangladesh Mercy Tembon also participated at the event.
