The World Bank and Bangladesh on Thursday signed five financing agreements worth over $1.1 billion to help the country achieve resilient and inclusive growth.
The five projects include early childhood development, urban primary health, secondary education, riverbank protection and navigability, and gas distribution efficiency, said a press release of the World Bank.
The agreements were signed in Dhaka by Sharifa Khan, Senior Secretary of Bangladesh Government and Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
The credits are from the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA). Bangladesh currently has the largest ongoing IDA program, totaling $16.46 billion in 57 projects, said the press release. For IDA concessional loans, the maturity period is 30 years with 5 years grace period; interest rate is 1.25% and service charge is 0.75%.
Abdoulaye Seck said these projects will help prepare Bangladesh's children for a brighter future while improving resilience to climate change.
Sharifa Khan said These projects are aligned with Bangladesh's Eighth Five-Year Plan 2021-2025 and support the country's graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026 and the vision 2041.
Navalsang Parmar/Akashwani News/Dhaka/23.11.2023
