The Asian Development Bank has approved a new Country Partnership Strategy for Bangladesh involving an investment of 4.5 billion US Dollars for the period 2011-2015. Mohammad Zahid Hossain, Senior Country Specialist at ADB’s Bangladesh Resident Mission said the new Country Partnership Strategy will seek to assist Bangladesh to face development challenges in a way that is relevant and responsive to the needs of a country that aims to attain middle income status within a decade.

The ADB’s Country partnership strategy for Bangladesh is aligned to the government’s Sixth Five-Year Plan priorities and will address issues related to infrastructure deficits, shortage of skilled labor, rapid urbanization, and the effects of climate change and natural disasters. One of the key features of the strategy will be to help the Bangladesh government take advantage of the emerging opportunities in regional cooperation in transport, energy and trade facilitation.

The Asian Development Bank’s 4.5 billion US Dollar Country support programme for Bangladesh over the next five years will be focused on six sectors: energy; transport; urban development; education; agriculture and natural resources; and finance. In the energy sector, ADB will support programmes to enhance access to power, improve energy efficiency, and to develop a policy and regulatory setting conducive to private sector participation.

In the transport sector ADB’s assistance will be targeted at better road and railway infrastructure for fostering higher growth, and support for environment-friendly modes of transport. The ADB will also support efforts to make

Bangladesh’s financial and capital markets more efficient and to develop the bond market for long-term infrastructure financing. The ADB’s Country partnership strategy for Bangladesh is also focused on strengthening governance by stepping up support for institutions fighting corruption.