Tripartite Review to Accelerate ADB-assisted Project Implementation in Bangladesh
The Government of Bangladesh and Asian Development Bank (ADB) today jointly reviewed the implementation progress of ADB-assisted projects to further improve development results.
Farida Nasreen, Additional Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Manmohan Parkash, Country Director, ADB, co-chaired the Tripartite Portfolio Review Meeting (TPRM) at BICC, Dhaka.
The TPRM themed ‘Improving Project Performance for Better Results’ discussed overall portfolio status and prioritized actions to achieve development results timely. Around 250 senior government officials, project directors, and ADB staff participated in the second such review meeting in 2019.
“TPRM is a common platform to bring all project stakeholders –government, executing agencies and ADB together, to review and evaluate performances, find out areas of improvement, and agree on the corrective actions and future plans with clear responsibilities and timeline,” said Country Director Manmohan Parkash while opening the event. “TPRM also provides a cross learning opportunity for sharing practical experiences with valuable insights and new ideas to overcome development challenges.”
Complimenting project directors for a record performance in 2018, Country Director Mr. Parkash said, “In 2019, we are targeting a record $1.70 billion in contract awards and $1.23 billion in disbursement, and in 2020, I hope disbursements would cross $1.5 billion,”. “However, with a rapidly growing portfolio, the complexity and challenges have also grown, requiring us to work harder and together, with a problem-solving attitude,” Mr. Parkash added.
ERD Additional Secretary Farida Nasreen urged the project directors to regularly visit project sites, monitor work completion progress, and keep track on fund disbursements against elapsed project times to accelerate project implementation.
Procurement, quality of contractors and consultants, financial management, contract management, land acquisition and resettlement, project design, and DPP/TPP approval/revision are common challenges in improving project implementation.
ADB’s current portfolio has 52 projects with over $10.5 billion under sovereign portfolio. ADB focuses its cooperation in Bangladesh on six sectors—energy; transport; water and urban/municipal infrastructure and services; education; finance; and agriculture, natural resources, and rural development. ADB’s cumulative lending to Bangladesh stands at around $25.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region. Press Release