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France will finance €330 million in two projects to ensure health facilities among the people of Bangladesh.
Of the €330 million, Agence Française de Développement, a development bank and cooperation agency, will provide €200 million for budget support due to Covid-19 pandemic while the rest €130 million for the Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project, which is already under implementation.
The Economic Relations Division of the Finance Ministry and the Agence Française de Développement of France signed two Credit Facility Agreements in Paris on November 10.
Bangladesh’s Economic Relations Division secretary Fatima Yasmin said this while briefing the media in Paris on Wednesday.
ERD secretary Fatima Yasmin and Philippe Orliange, director, Asia Department of AFD signed the loan agreements on their respective behalf.
The loan agreement signing ceremony was attended, among others, by Khondker M. Talha, ambassador of Bangladesh to France and Jean-Marin Schuh, ambassador of France to Bangladesh.
In South Asia, the AFD provides the largest amount of assistance to Bangladesh, said Fatima Yasmin after signing the agreements.
‘Vaccination and Health Sector Budget Support’
The executing agency of the vaccination and health sector budget support is the Finance Division while the implementing agency is the Ministry of Health and Family welfare.
The objectives of the project are to reach a critical level of Covid-19 immunity among the general population of Bangladesh.
It also aims to support vaccination campaigns, realising sustainable responses to Covid-19 by ensuring incentives to health, facilities and medical workers dealing with Covid-19 patients, guaranteeing transparent implementation of vaccination campaigns and ensuring business continuation of the Expanded Programme on Immunization.
Under the project, strengthening the education and training system for medical workers and expanding training participants in order to secure healthcare service quality through strengthening primary health services delivery for the urban and rural poor and for the women.
The project will prevent Covid-19 infections along with increasing diagnostic capacity for climate change related disease.
The loan of €200 million to Bangladesh with a repayment period of twenty years and grace period of seven years. A concessionary rate will be offered as a rate of interest under this CFA.
‘Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project’
The executing agency of the DESWSP project is the Local Government Division while its implementing agency is Dhaka WASA. It is an additional loan to this project which was launched earlier in 2013.
The objective of the DESWSP (Gandharbpur project) is to contribute to improving living conditions for people in Dhaka, especially women and the most vulnerable populations, by increasing and ensuring the sustainability of drinking water production using surface water. It is based on four components.
AFD will provide an additional loan of €130 million to Bangladesh with a repayment period of twenty years and a grace period of seven years. A concessionary rate will be offered as a rate of interest under this CFA.
The Agence Francaise de development is the bilateral development agency implementing Official Development Assistance on behalf of the French Government.
