Bangladesh is expecting to receive over $ 7 billion as different international donor agencies have pledged to provide the amount to run the country’s development programmes as well as reforms in some crucial sectors.
Representatives of the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, Asian Development Bank and Germany so far made the assurance during meetings with the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, who has been expecting a big push from various quarters in rebuilding the country to materialise the dreams of students.
Apart from the donor agencies, Germany will provide 1 billion Euro to Bangladesh in the next 10 years, including 15 million Euro this year, to develop its renewable energy sector.
Both Germany and Bangladesh will promote exchange of knowledge and cooperation with non-state actors like private sector, research institutes, academia, and civil society, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told reporters after a meeting with the German envoy at her office.
Prof Yunus took the helm of the office on August 8 following the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government amid a student-led mass upsurge on August 5.
Experts say that the amount would help the country address its crisis developed following the siphoning off over Tk one lakh crore abroad in the last 15 years.
During a recent meeting with a US high-powered delegation, Prof Yunus sought support from the United States to rebuild the country by carrying out vital reforms and bring back stolen assets.
In an immediate reaction, the US embassy in Dhaka in a statement said that as Bangladesh looks to chart a more equitable and inclusive future, the US stands ready to support those efforts.
World Bank Country Director Abdoulaye Seck on Tuesday said the World Bank is committed to increasing lending to Bangladesh in this fiscal year to help the reform agenda of the interim government.\The World Bank can mobilise about $2 billion new financing in this fiscal to support critical reforms, flood response, better air quality and health, he said.
Seck spoke about the new assistance when he called on Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.
During the meeting, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus told the World Bank country head that the bank must have flexibility to fund Bangladesh’s reforms and help restart a new journey after 15 years of ‘extreme misgovernance.’
“Out of these ashes, we have to build new structures. We need a big push, and we have to focus on the dreams of the students,” he said.
“I will suggest, help us. Be a part of our team,” said the Chief Adviser.
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is likely to come up with an overall support of around $4 billion to $5 billion to Bangladesh in various sectors for the next three years under its Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS) for the 2024-26.
Head of IsDB Regional Hub Muhammad Nassis Sulaiman informed reporters of this on Tuesday while replying to their queries after holding meeting with finance adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at his office at Bangladesh Secretariat.
“As part of the Member Country Partnership Strategy (MCPS), the part of the plan is really for the next three years with a support of around $4 to $5 billion,” he said.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) may provide $900 million to Bangladesh by March next year as the budget support for the country.
Of the amount, the multilateral lender may provide $400 million in December to help Bangladesh address challenges that stem from its graduation from the least developed country (LDC) status in 2026.
