“Bangladesh has made considerable progress in reducing income poverty, improving health and education, and maintaining steady economic growth” said Alma Kanani, World Bank senior economist and co-task leaders for the project. “The Government has expressed its commitment to taking these reforms to the next level and we will be providing financing and technical assistance in a flexible manner to support them.”
Among the areas in which the World Bank is expected to assist are: formulating improved macroeconomic and sectoral policies and implementing the sectoral reform agenda effectively; designing programs of high quality and shifting increasingly to a sector-wide program approach to development; strengthening institutions for revenue administration; enhancing coverage and improving quality and targeting of public services to the poor; improving transparency of activities of public and corporate entities; improving the investment climate; and improving information and communication technology in the public sector.
“A high priority for the Government is enhancing the effectiveness of its core functions and quality of public services,” said Syed Nizamuddin, World Bank senior economist and co-task leader of the project. “This will entail improving the policy, legal and regulatory regimes in key areas and enforcing them. The quality of public spending will need to be improved significantly, requiring a more integrated, medium-term budgetary framework and strengthening of the government's capacity to design worthwhile investment programs and implement them effectively.”
The total project cost is US$25 million. US$5 million will be provided by the Government of Bangladesh while US$20 will be provided by the World Bank’s International Development Association as a grant which will not require repayment.
Quelle: Public Sector Technology & Management, 26.07.2004
