OCTOBER 2017 AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORLD BANK GROUP’S WORK IN BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT BANGLADESH COUNTRY CONTEXT Bangladesh 2017 Bangladesh’s economic and development progress has been Population, million 164.9 remarkable. Since 2010, annual GDP growth has averaged 6.4 percent. GNI per capita increased from $100 in 1972 to $1,480 GDP, current US$ billion 248.8 in 2017. It crossed the World Bank’s threshold for lower mid- GDP per capita, current US$ (Atlas) 1480 dle-income country status in FY14. Bangladesh has become the world’s second largest ready-made garments exporter after Chi- Poverty Rate, % ($1.90/day 2011PPP) 18.5 na. It also continues to face challenges of limited public services, weak institutions and poor infrastructure posing constraints to GINI Coefficient 32.1 investments and growth. The external current account balance sharply deteriorated this year. The country is preparing for parliamentary elections at the end AT-A-GLANCE of 2018 or early 2019. Since the terrorist attack in July 2016, the government has been building its capacity to address terrorist ƒƒ Bangladesh’s economic growth continued to be healthy, threats. driven by industrial production and services, but the ex- ternal current account balance turned negative as exports Calamitous flooding was a reminder of Bangladesh’s vulnerabili- weakened, remittances plummeted and import payments ty to natural disasters. The Department of Disaster Management rose. The financial sector remained stressed, fiscal results (DDM) Situation Report of August 19, 2017 said over 1.3 million were below budget targets and monetary policy was ac- families representing approximately 5.9 million people were af- commodative. Growth is predicted to remain robust at 6.4 fected. percent in FY18. Since August, 2017, there has been a surge of Rohingya people ƒƒ Bangladesh has had years of strong growth and develop- fleeing across the border from Myanmar, and parliament urged ment, despite its vulnerability to climate change and natu- the international community to pressure Myanmar to repatriate ral disasters. Since 2010, annual GDP growth averaged 6.4 them, ensure their safety, and grant them citizenship rights. percent. GNI per capita increased from $100 in 1972 to $1,480 in 2017. Poverty has been declining, and between RECENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 1991 and 2010, the number of poor fell by 14 million, from 42 million to 28 million people. Unprecedented floods in Bangladesh’s economy weathered persistent global uncertainties 2017 may jeopardize poverty reduction rates. relatively well. The officially reported GDP growth rate was 7.2 percent in FY17, mainly driven by services and manufacturing. ƒƒ The World Bank Group is the largest development partner Private consumption and public investment contributed on the of Bangladesh. Bank engagement increased significantly demand side, while weak exports and strong imports were a drag in the past five years. It is based on the Country Partner- on economic growth. Private investment stagnated as a percent- ship Framework (CPF) for FY16-20 that expands on areas age of GDP. constraining growth and job creation including energy and infrastructure. Poverty reduction continued but the pace has slowed. Progress on reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity through human development and employment generation has continued with the poverty incidence based on the international $1.90 per capita per day poverty line declining from 44.2 percent in 1991 to 18.5 percent in 2010 (latest available poverty data) and a projected 14.9 percent in 2016. Remittances declined by 14.5 percent in FY17. Households in urban areas may have been BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh impacted by flat garment export growth and rising food prices. Severe monsoon flooding in the north and north-east this year ECONOMIC OUTLOOK has affected the livelihoods of over 5.9 million people in 30 dis- GDP growth in FY18 is expected to be robust at around 6.4 per- tricts, likely jeopardizing the poverty reduction that has been cent. This is lower than the estimate of growth in FY17, but that achieved there. appears to be an overestimate based on the high frequency in- dicators and undercounting of losses due to floods. Exports are Inflation has decelerated to 5.4 percent, benefitting from soft projected to grow faster with a recovery in global trade. How- international commodity prices and prudent macroeconomic ever, the downside risks are elevated, including political uncer- management. Foreign exchange reserve growth has slowed and tainty from the elections. Remittances are projected to recover the current account balance turned from a surplus of over $4.3 somewhat as GCC economies benefit from higher oil prices, and billion in FY16 to a deficit of $1.48 billion in FY17. The FY17 fis- private investments will pick up following lower interest rates cal outturn differed markedly from the original budget, but un- and improvements in trade logistics infrastructure. Recovery in derperformance for both revenue and spending kept the deficit exports and remittances would help restore poverty reduction near the target of 5 percent of GDP. Public debt has been stable, rates. at around 33 percent of GDP. Monetary growth (10.9 percent in FY17) fell short of the estimated 12.9 percent nominal GDP Inflation is projected to increase due to a pickup in global com- growth. Large excess liquidity in the banking system led to de- modity prices combined with an expansionary fiscal policy and clining deposit and lending rates, but non-performing loans re- supply disruptions from natural disasters. Investment-related mained a major concern for financial stability. imports combined with low single digit export and remittance growth could be expected to keep the current account in deficit over the medium term. TABLE: Bangladesh Macro Outlook Indicators (annual percent change unless otherwise noted) Bangladesh FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017e FY2018f FY2019f REAL GDP Growth, at Constant Market Price 6.1 6.6 7.1 7.2 6.4 6.7 Private Consumption 4.0 5.8 3.0 4.7 4.1 4.9 Government Consumption 7.9 8.8 8.4 5.3 4.4 6.6 Gross Fixed Capital Investment 9.9 7.1 8.9 8.8 9.1 8.6 Exports, Goods and Services 3.2 -2.8 2.2 -0.6 9.8 7.2 Imports, Goods and Services 1.2 3.2 -7.1 4.0 5.4 4.9 REAL GDP Growth, at Constant Basic Prices 6.1 6.5 7.2 7.3 6.8 6.7 Agriculture 4.4 3.3 2.8 3.4 2.5 3.1 Industry 8.2 9.7 11.1 10.5 10.2 8.7 Services 5.6 5.8 6.3 6.5 6.0 6.5 Inflation (Consumer Price index) 7.3 6.4 5.9 5.4 5.9 6.2 Current Account Balance (% of GDP) 0.8 1.5 1.9 -0.6 -0.4 0.4 Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -3.6 -3.9 -3.8 -5.0 -5.4 -5.0 Debt (% of GDP) 31.9 31.5 31.2 32.5 35.7 37.6 Sources: World Bank, Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management Global Practice, and Poverty Global Practice. Notes: e = estimate, f = forecast. (a) Calculations based on SARMD harmonization, using 2005-HIES and 2010-HIES. (b) Projection using point-to-point elasticity (2005-2010) with pass-through = 0.87 based on GDP per capita constant PPP. (c) Projections are from 2018 to 2019. BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh cent per year and to significantly reduce poverty within the next 5 years. As one of the largest IDA recipients, Bangladesh received $4.1 billion in IDA financing during the IDA17 period (FY2015-2017). This represents about 8.5% of all IDA concessional resources. With Bangladesh’s rising GNI per capita, it was one of the few countries that became eligible for additional IDA Scale-up Facility financing. The country is eligible to receive approximately $4.4 billion during IDA18 (FY2018-2020). WORLD BANK PROGRAM At the end of FY2017, IDA’s total commitment stood at $9.3 bil- lion (38 projects), up from $4 billion (27 projects) at end of FY12. The lending portfolio is concentrated in public administration; transportation; education; social protection; water, sanitation, and waste management; energy; agriculture; and trade and com- petitiveness. With the increased financing for Bangladesh during IDA18, there is a strong pipeline of operations across sectors in- Bangladesh has made remarkable gains in ensuring access to cluding education, health and social protection; infrastructure education in the past two decades. With nearly 6.4 million girls in (energy and transport); water supply and sanitation; agriculture secondary school in 2015, Bangladesh is among the few countries to and fisheries; and statistical capacity-building and e-procure- achieve gender parity in school enrollment, and have more girls than ment. For FY18, two projects have been approved as of end-Au- boys in the secondary schools gust 2017 – the Health Sector Support Program and the Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project. The Bank is discussing with the government the use of a diversified mix of lending instruments suitable for responding to Bangla- THE WORLD BANK GROUP AND BANGLADESH desh’s development needs. The World Bank was among the first development partners to The World Bank also provides a range of analytical work and support Bangladesh following its independence. The World Bank technical assistance. In 2017, the Bank completed the study Group (WBG) has been the largest financing partner to Bangla- Towards Greater Dhaka, which envisions a transformational ur- desh, and since then committed more than $26 billion to support ban development for East Dhaka. Another Bank-financed an- the various initiatives that have been instrumental in poverty re- alytical project is the Job Diagnostics initiative, which is aimed duction. at addressing Bangladesh’s employment challenges by improving The WBG engagement is based on the Country Partnership the quality and availability of survey data. The Bank is contribut- Framework (CPF) for FY2016-2020. It has the primary objective ing to the development of policy options in selected areas such of increasing engagement in the five transformational priorities as migration and working on the Water Sanitation and Hygiene that are critical for accelerating Bangladesh’s progress towards Poverty Diagnostics to inform the government and development the goals of reducing extreme poverty and promoting shared partners on ways to improve access to high quality water supply, prosperity. The priority areas are energy; inland connectivity and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services among the poorest 40 logistics; regional and global integration; urbanization; and adap- percent of the population. It also regularly publishes the Ban- tive delta management. In addition, the WBG will build on the gladesh Development Update informing key stakeholders on the existing portfolio to focus on the foundational priorities, which state of the economy, outlook, risks, progress in structural policy are important prerequisites for sustained growth (macroeco- reforms and key challenges the economy is facing. nomic stability; human development; and institutions and busi- ness environment). World Bank Active Portfolio The CPF represents an important shift in WBG support, expand- (As of October 5, 2017) ing its engagement in energy, infrastructure, and other areas that ƒƒ No. of Projects: 41 constrain growth and job creation. It is aligned with the Govern- ment’s planning cycle and will support select national priorities ƒƒ Commitments: US$9.95 billion identified in the 7th Five Year Plan for FY2016-2020. The Five ƒƒ IDA: 41 projects; $9.95 billion Year Plan aims to attain average real GDP growth rate of 7.4 per- BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh tics, IFC seeks opportunities in clean upstream energy and elec- tricity, and ways to address bottlenecks in logistics and economic zones. IFC will continue to help strengthen the competitiveness of Bangladeshi firms through interventions in the Ready Made Garments industry, value added manufacturing, and agribusi- ness. IFC focuses on long-term private sector development by pro- viding financing to projects and companies, as well as advisory services in strategic areas. IFC has significantly stepped up its en- gagement in recent years. Annual long-term finance investment commitments rose from $37 million in FY12 to $659 million in FY17. The goal is to increase annual commitments to $1 billion by 2019. Key investment areas have included energy, the financial sector, the garment industry, and agriculture. The Advisory Service program, currently worth $47.6 million in funds managed, has been primarily supported by a broad range of donor partners for decades. The key areas of intervention are water efficiency, energy access, financial institutions, and im- The Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP) helps low-income proving sector competitiveness. students like Jharna Akther get the required skills for their future careers. MIGA MIGA’s gross exposure in Bangladesh is $510 million as of 31 July WORLD BANK – IFC COLLABORATION 2017. The Agency’s current activity facilitates investment into electricity generation, complementing the World Bank’s work in IFC in Bangladesh addresses key development gaps in the areas assisting the ongoing transformation of Bangladesh’s power sec- of inclusion, sustainability, and infrastructure and logistics. As for tor. MIGA has already supported investment and/or expansion inclusion, IFC will focus on gender, access to finance especially for of State-owned generation facilities (including in the Ashuganj, MSMEs, quality healthcare and affordable housing. To promote Sirajganj and Ghorasal complexes) and is also considering sup- sustainability, IFC will support renewable solutions, applications port for independent power producers. Beyond this, the Agency that reduce greenhouse gases, climate change adaptations, and stands ready to support investments in other sectors, including water/energy resource efficiencies. In infrastructure and logis- transport, agribusiness, manufacturing and services. CONTACTS: More about the World Bank Group in Bangladesh Country Website: http://www.worldbank.org/bangladesh Data: http://data.worldbank.org/country/bangladesh Projects: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/projects Research: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/research News: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/news The “Country Snapshot” is an annual update highlighting the country’s recent developments, economic outlook and major overview of the World Bank Group’s partnership with the country. You can find the latest updates for Bangladesh at http://www.worldbank.org/Bangladesh BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh OCTOBER 2017 AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORLD BANK GROUP’S WORK IN BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT BANGLADESH PROJECT PROFILES BANGLADESH: INSURANCE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: March 20, 2017 Effective: Not yet signed Closing: August 31, 2022 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financier Financing IDA 65 Government 15 Project Cost 80 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh’s financial sector consists of the banking sector, microfinance institutions (MFIs), non-bank financial institutions, the capital market and the insurance sector. While there has been rapid growth in the insurance sector, this is from a very small base, and overall the insurance sector is still a small component of the financial system. The small market that exists is quite concentrated with the five largest life insurance companies accounting for nearly 70 percent of the life insurance market. Similarly, within the non-life insurance market, the five largest companies account for about 50 percent of the total premium income. Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), the regulator of the insurance sector, has been positioning itself to respond to these challenges that require several potential areas for regulatory reforms to support the growth of the market in a sound and sustainable manner. The project aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the regulator and state-owned insurance corporations and increase the coverage of insurance in Bangladesh. It will support Improving the capacity of the IDRA and the Bangladesh Insurance Academy. The project will facilitate modernization, strengthening and increasing the efficiency of the State-owned Insurance Corporations as well. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Smart Risk-based supervision (RBS) would be adopted by IDRA and at least 70 percent of insurance market will be supervised using smart-RBS. ■■ 22 million policy holders will be served by the insurance industry. ■■ 70 percent insurance companies would follow off-site monitoring templates issued by IDRA. ■■ Solvency margin rule for insurance companies would be issued by IDRA and implemented. ■■ Corporate governance regulations issued by IDRA would be complied with by 60 percent of the total insurance companies. ■■ Mortality and Morbidity tables would be in place. ■■ Minimum 600 persons will receive the Associate of Bangladesh Insurance Academy (ABIA) diploma. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), Bangladesh KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 1 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: INVESTMENT PROMOTION AND FINANCING FACILITY PROJECT II (IPFF II) KEY DATES: Approved: April 5, 2017 Effective: Not yet signed Closing: June 30, 2022 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financier Financing IDA 356.70 Government 60.00 Project Cost 416.70 *As of August 23, 2016. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One of the key constraints to achieving the growth target of Bangladesh is the infrastructural deficiencies. In addition to quantity, quality of infrastructure is a concern for the country. Therefore, the Government plans to address the issue with vigor during the 7th Five Year Plan period. According to the Plan, the required annual investment in infrastructure would be in the range of 7-8 percent of GDP. Apparently, most of the required infrastructure investments will need to come from private sector-led initiatives and through the public- private partnership (PPP) model to achieve desired annual investment in infrastructure. Considering the diminutive institutional investor base in the country, the Government has established two non-bank development financial institutions aiming for dedicated finance in infrastructure. In addition, Investment Promotion and Financing Facility (IPFF) Project was undertaken by the Government during the period from May 2006 to December 2016 which helped promoting long-term financing for private sector-led infrastructure development in Bangladesh. IPFF project II will help continue the momentum generated through IPFF I in promoting private sector investments in infrastructure, by crowding in more private sector resources in the form of equity and long-term debts. In addition to leveraging the project fund through direct financing, the project will explore ways to leverage more innovative financing instruments such as project bonds, takeout financing, equity and mezzanine/hybrid financing, credit enhancement, and so on. The project will provide long-term funds to participating financial institutions (PFIs) for further on-lending and investment in support of long-term infrastructure investments by private sector investors/companies. The project will also provide technical assistance (TA) to further build and strengthen the ecosystem of long-term infrastructure financing in Bangladesh. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Private capital would be mobilized by $260.00 million to finance investment in infrastructure. ■■ Total investment in infrastructure by all subprojects would be $610.00 million. ■■ Long term debt (over 5 years in maturity) for infrastructure would be $406.70 million. ■■ Equity investments by private sector entrepreneurs for the infrastructure subprojects would be $95.00 million. ■■ At least 20 local financial institutions would participate in the project’s credit line. ■■ Each of the participating financial institutions would comply with the eligibility criteria. ■■ Minimum 200 persons from the project beneficiary/stakeholder institutions would be trained for capacity building in E&S issues. ■■ Infrastructure finance by participating financial institutions through innovative financial instruments would be at least $30.00 million. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Bank KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 2 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: FINANCIAL SECTOR SUPPORT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: June 5, 2015 Effective: September 20,2015 Closing: September 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financier Financing IDA 300 Government 50 Total Project cost 350 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Over the past twenty years, Bangladesh has made significant gains in economic growth, development and poverty reduction. Despite this progress, growth remains below potential and to achieve its objective of becoming a middle-income country by 2021, Bangladesh faces myriad challenges. In addition, the Bank’s 2012 Growth Report argued that faster growth will depend on four main factors: increase in investment by at least five percentage points of GDP, improvement in the quality and relevance of education, increase in productivity growth by accelerating the shift from agriculture to higher productivity manufacturing and services, and finally deepening and diversifying labor-intensive exports. Building a strong financial sector that can cater to the needs of the growing economy is one of the essential ingredients in meeting Bangladesh’s long-term development goal as well as supporting short- to medium-term growth. To strengthen its financial sector, Bangladesh needs to address several key issues. First, it must improve stability by strengthening weak banks, particularly state-owned banks but others as well. Second, governance and management systems—including risk management, internal controls, and credit appraisal in parts of the banking sector and especially the SOCBs—need to be enhanced to mitigate the risk of suboptimal loan decisions, and overall operations need to be automated to enhance data integrity, efficiency and competitiveness. Third, the supervisory and regulatory capacity of the central bank, Bangladesh Bank (BB), needs to be further enhanced, given the issues discussed above but also to meet the growing complexities of financial markets. The proposed project supports Bangladesh’s efforts to develop the financial sector, by strengthening financial market infrastructure, improving regulatory, supervisory, and sector developmental capacity of BB; and building the market for, and scaling up, long-term finance especially to exporters and manufacturing firms to spur competitiveness, investment, and growth. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Minimum 40 percent of Government Payments by value will be processed through electronic means ■■ Bangladesh Bank will comply with the Principle 17 of the Committee of Payment and Settlement ■■ Systems (CPSS) – International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) which would validate high level of operational reliability. ■■ Bangladesh Bank will get certification against ISO270001 and COBIT. ■■ Outstanding long term loans of participating financial institutions in foreign exchange would be $ 550 million. ■■ General Principles of Credit Reporting Systems would be in place. ■■ At least 98 percent uptime of the core systems of the BB (core banking, payment systems, credit reporting system, and MI module) would be ensured. ■■ Over 500 banking supervision officers of BB will be trained on risk-based supervision. ■■ Circular on prompt corrective action would be issued by BB. ■■ Financial inclusion strategy would be prepared. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Bank KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 3 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR ENHANCING ACCESS TO SERVICES (IDEA) PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: May 10, 2011 Effective: August 28, 2011 Closing: December 31, 2017 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financier Financing IDA 175 Government NA Project Cost 175 Additional financing (if applicable) Total Project cost 175 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: IDEA Project aims to establish a secure, accurate, and reliable national identification (NID) management system in Bangladesh to serve as the basis for more efficient, inclusive and transparent service delivery. It aims to (a) build and strengthen the NID system, (b) develop the capacity of National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) to provide identity verification services, (c) support Bangladesh Election Commission in issuing smart NID cards with robust security features, and (d) develop capacity over the longer term to integrate the new ID system into a wide range of both public and private services. It contributes to enhance the data quality to facilitate online as well as off-line NID verification services. The smart NID cards usher a new avenue for effective and reliable off-line verification service. The agencies delivering services to citizens in Bangladesh can now greatly reduce their transaction costs by efficiently identifying their clients and maintaining their own databases of customers. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The enrolment of the citizens above 15 years of age in the NID database has become nearly universal. There is biometric data of over 100 million citizens in the database. ■■ The outcomes of the identity authentication services for public and private sector agencies have exceeded the initial targets (of four agencies) of the Project, with at present 74 agencies using the identity authentication services. ■■ More than 62 million citizens have successfully re-registered nearly 110 million mobile phone SIM cards using biometric authentication from the NID database between January and May 2016. ■■ The Finance Division is using the NID number as the primary means of identification of over five million government employees and pensioners. This has enabled the Finance Division to eliminate the ghost pensioners from the system. ■■ The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is providing an electronic-Taxpayer’s Identification Number (e-TIN) to the eligible citizens based on the NID database. This has enabled a de-duplication of TINs, which has led to a reduction in taxpayers’ number from 3 million records in 2013 to 1.8 million in 2015. Using the NID system, there is a scope of widening the tax base by bringing eligible citizens under the coverage of the tax network. ■■ Using the online NID verification system, Bangladesh Bank’s (BB) Credit Information Bureau is now capable to authenticate the identity of citizens who have applied for different types of loans from financial institutions. The BB can effectively and transparently identify an individual’s credit worthiness; also citizens’ access to credit facilities has become easier now. ■■ All commercial banks and non-banking financial institutions are using the identity authentication services of the Project as part of their eKYC. ■■ The 17 digit NID number of a citizen has been replaced by a 10 digit unique NID number. This will contribute to the integration of different agencies providing citizen services and will safeguard the privacy of citizens’ core data. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: National Identity Registration Wing, Bangladesh Election Commission KEY PARTNERS: N/A. 4 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: DIGITIZING IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: July 28, 2017 Effective: (not yet signed) Closing: June 30, 2022 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financier Financing IDA 55 Government 5 Total Project cost 60 *As of September 10, 2017 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: For accelerating private sector-led growth with an improved investment climate, there is a recognition of the need for an improved governance structure in spending public resources for better service delivery. It is estimated that the public procurement expenditure of over $8 billion accounts for 60-80 percent of the annual development budget. Recognizing its importance, the government has been implementing procurement reforms over the last several years. A promising start has been made to reshaping the procurement system by establishing laws, rules, a nodal procurement agency, a capacity development program, and electronic procurement with performance measurements. However substantial issues remain, in with inadequate project implementation monitoring, procurement delays and poor contract administration. Thus, the follow-on project has been initiated. The objective is to improve public procurement performance and enhance the capacity for monitoring the implementation of development programs/projects. The four components of the project deal with restructuring of the procurement nodal agency, Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU); expanding/institutionalizing electronic procurement across the entire public sector; procurement management capacity development combined with citizen monitoring and public disclosure of procurement contract information; and improving the project implementation monitoring capacity of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Improved efficiency: Reduction of procurement lead time, i.e. invitation to contract award (2022: 70 days, 2017: 100 days). ■■ Enhanced transparency: Increase in citizen monitoring of contract implementation (2022: 45 sub-districts, 2017: 4 sub-districts); and public disclosure of procurement information and performance (on-line portal to be functional by 2019). ■■ Improved project implementation: Improvement of contract completion rate within the original time schedule (2022: 50 percent, 2017: 0). ■■ Enhanced electronic procurement: All public sector bids invited through electronic tendering (2022: 75 percent, 2017: 2 percent). ■■ Enhanced capacity development: Each procuring entity will have at least one trained/certified procurement professional (2022: 80 percent, 2017: 5 percent). IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: CPTU, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 5 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: REVENUE MOBILIZATION PROGRAM FOR RESULTS-VAT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM KEY DATES: Approved: May 09, 2014 Effective: January 11, 2015 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 60 GoB 13 Total cost 73 * as of June 30, 2016; revised amount after partial cancellation. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low revenue mobilization is limiting the country’s development. The level of tax collection was 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012 and has remained at that level over the last few years. The tax system is complex, which encourages non-compliance. A particular problem is that the indirect tax system is distortionary, discretionary, and narrow based. Tax administration in Bangladesh is lagging in embracing good international practices, especially in terms of simplified business processes, adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), risk management systems and modern Human Resources Management (HRM) systems. In general, it is under-performing in transparency and accountability. The new Value Added Tax VAT Law which was to take effect in July 2017 has now been delayed for two years. The objective is to simplify the tax system, especially the indirect tax system, by implementing a single rate, few tax exemptions, a voluntary threshold for small business registration, and a simplification of the Excise & Duty regime according to international practices. The program’s objective is to improve revenue mobilization and transparency in the VAT administration. The program will support the VAT Law implementation by preparing both the tax administration and the taxpayers’ community for the Law’s adoption. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Core business processes have been reviewed and cleared by the National Bureau of Revenue (NBR). ■■ The associated software has been developed and the VAT registration process has been launched. ■■ Coordination with the Bangladesh Bank and the Public Accounts Office is in place to define interfaces and protocols for electronic VAT payments. ■■ Workshops and orientation sessions are being organized to orient the taxpayers about the VAT Law 2012 and get their feedback. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: VAT Online Project Office, VAT Wing, National Board of Revenue. KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 6 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: Mar 1, 2011 Effective: Aug 3, 2011 Closing: February 28, 2021 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 172.8 GoB 7.0 DFID 17.4 Total Cost 197.2 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in export-oriented manufacturing, the Government of Bangladesh initiated an economic processing zones (EPZ) regime by enacting a law in 1980 under which the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) was created. The EPZ model, catering mainly to export-oriented FDI, has limits with regard to economic linkages and spillover effects to the domestic economy. As such, further improvements to the economic zones regime became imperative. To meet the investment need of both foreign and domestic investors, the government moved to a more flexible and modern Special Economic Zone (SEZ) regime by introducing the Economic Zones Act, which was supported by the World Bank Group, in August 2010. It led to the creation of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), and the Hi-Tech Park Authority Act the same year led to the creation of the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA). The World Bank Group, together with the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), is supporting the Government in developing economic zones and hi-tech parks through financing from the Bangladesh Private Sector Development Support Project. This project aims to: ■■ Improve the business environment and access to serviced land through economic zones and hi-tech parks. ■■ Invest in training schemes to make human resources more responsive to enterprise needs. ■■ Support local private-sector capacity through product/process quality improvements. In April 2016, the Board approved an additional IDA credit of $130 million. It became effective in August 2016. The additional finance builds on the gains realized by the original credit and contributes to enhancing the quality standards in the economic zones (EZs) and the governing institutions. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Generated $1,183 million in direct investment in the economic zones and hi-tech parks. ■■ The number of developers receiving a license to develop an economic zone has increased from zero to 25 since the start of the project. ■■ Created 12,310 new jobs, of which 27 percent are for women, against a target of 4,500 jobs by June 2017 (30 percent for women). ■■ The Implementing Agencies (BEZA and BHTPA) completed 40 site assessments, feasibility studies/master plans for new economic zones, with Mongla and Kaliakoir awarded as the first zone/park under the public private partnership regime in the country. ■■ BEPZA has certified 21 companies located in economic zones with the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard through their green initiative. In addition, BEPZA is maintaining 87 environmental and social counselors to conduct social and environmental monitoring. ■■ BHTPA has trained about 12,800 people on industry-specific skills through their employment incentive and skill enhancement programs. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority, Economic Relations Division. KEY PARTNERS: DfID, IFC 7 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: EXPORT COMPETITIVENESS FOR JOBS PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: June 01, 2017 Effective: Yet to be declared effective Closing: June 30, 2023 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA credit 100 Government 19.12 Total Project cost 119.12 *As of August 31, 2017 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh has been observing moderate but steady economic growth. Between 2000 and 2015, the size of the economy in purchasing power parity terms (PPP, current $) more than tripled to $537 billion. During this time, exports of goods and services and inflows of personal remittances increased on an annual average of 15.5 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively (WDI). At the same time, Bangladesh remains dependent on just a few sectors to generate exports (more than 80% of exports from apparel), investment (more than 50% FDI in textile and telecom), and jobs, with several other sectors (like leather, leather goods and footwear, light engineering-including electronics and machinery, and plastics) showing a positive export growth trend. Improving the competitiveness of these established, less dominant, but promising sectors is likely to be the main source of economic diversification and job creation and help manage volatility. The project’s objective is to contribute to export diversification and encourage more and better jobs in targeted sectors. Through addressing the constraints faced by firms, the project aims to improve the export competitiveness of the target sectors, namely leather, leather goods and footwear; light engineering (including electronics and machinery), and plastics. The project will finance (i) a market access support program to address critical constraints for the private sector to access international markets and integrate in global value chains; (ii) a productivity enhancement program to address constraints related to quality and productivity improvements through skills and technology; (iii) a public investment facility for infrastructure constraints to address infrastructure constraints negatively affecting the development of targeted industrial clusters; and (iv) project implementation, monitoring and evaluation. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: The project is designed to enhance growth and competitiveness of selected sectors in which Bangladesh has a demonstrated comparative advantage or sectors that provide essential inputs in export-oriented manufacturing value chains. The project is expected to impact the targeted sectors through: ■■ Increase in number of firms directly exporting ■■ Create opportunity for new and better jobs ■■ Increase in average wage growth for beneficiary firms IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Ministry of Commerce (MoC) KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 8 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: SKILLS AND TRAINING ENHANCEMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: June 10, 2010 Effective: Aug 22, 2010 Closing: June 30, 2019 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 79 IDA AF 100 GoB 9 + 20.8 (AF Total cost 217.8 TF 15 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Bangladesh economy has been registering steady economic growth of around 6 percent over the past decade. As local and global economic shifts continue toward industry and services, demand for skilled manpower is expected to rise at home and abroad. Bangladesh is a labor-surplus country, so the government is increasingly focusing on workforce development through technical and vocational education training (TVET). This is a timely response as the country prepares to accommodate and capitalize on the ongoing demographic dividend. However, poor training quality, low employability, and inadequate wages plague the TVET sector, requiring interventions to address these issues. The project aims to strengthen selected public and private training institutions to improve training quality and employability of trainees, including those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. The project is designed to address the key issues concerning TVET in a number of ways: ■■ Ensuring that the programs offered are relevant to labor market needs by incorporating views from industries and civil society. ■■ Helping to ensure teacher-trainer vacancies open for six months or more are filled. ■■ Supporting both public and private institutions, thereby creating a level playing field. The project breaks new ground in this way. ■■ Providing incentives. Based on performance indicators, training institutions grant of up to $1 million for implementing their institutional development plans. Institutions providing short courses receive $275 per student, of which $75 is stipend to the student. In addition, a 20 percent per student amount performance grant is offered to the institute for each trainee who is employed within six months of completing training. ■■ Providing stipends to students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Those receiving a stipend must maintain 75 percent annual attendance and 45 percent pass marks in the annual examinations. ■■ Strengthening polytechnic teaching and management through specialized training programs for polytechnic teachers and managers in collaboration with Singapore. ■■ Supporting sustainable implementation capacities and governance at all levels of skills development system; ■■ Facilitating changed mindsets among the institutions, who now initiate and lead innovations, and among students and communities towards increasing the value of tech- nical education in society and ■■ Increasing harmony among formerly-fragmented skills development stakeholders and forging global partnerships. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ 193,976 diploma students from 162 polytechnic institutions (50 of which are public) received stipends. Female beneficiary share increased from 10% to 21% from adopting a universal female stipend instead of a poverty targeting one. ■■ 98,892 trainees have received short-course training, of whom 31% are women. ■■ 867 full-time contractual teachers deployed in 50 public polytechnics, filling 95% of vacant teaching posts, and over 4,000 TVET teachers, managers and leaders trained through in-country and overseas training. ■■ 909 polytechnic teachers and managers trained in Singapore while 87 teachers received training from China ■■ Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) has been operationalized, and around 17,715 individuals have been assessed through RPL. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate of Technical Education KEY PARTNERS: Bangladesh Technical Education Board, Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training; Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Canada. 9 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: THIRD PRIMARY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (PEDP3) KEY DATES: Approved: July 31, 2011 Effective: Dec 7, 2011 Closing: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 700 Original Total cost 8,140 DP Co-Financing 970 Revised Total Cost 9,810 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in primary education in the last decade. The net enrollment rate has now reached 98 percent, and gender parity in net enrollment has been achieved. The primary education cycle completion rate has risen from 60.2% in 2010 to 81% in 2016. Despite this impressive progress, many children continue to remain out of school, and the transition rate to secondary level remains an issue of concern. Poverty, family educational background, the geographical remoteness of some communities, and the commute distance to school are some of the factors associated with student drop-out. The quality of education remains a major concern.PEDP3 aims to increase participation and reduce social disparities in primary education, increase cycle completion, improve the quality of the learning environment, improve the systematic assessment of student learning, and improve the effectiveness of resource utilization in primary education. While building on the experience and successes of previous programs, PEDP3 stands out for its strong focus on results. Funds are disbursed when targets for disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs) covering nine areas are met. The DLIs for quality enhancement cover: (i) development of an 18-month diploma program and teacher training; (ii) the development and incremental introduction of competency-based examinations; (iii) merit-based teacher and head teacher recruitment; and (iv) timely distribution of textbooks (within a month of the start of the academic calendar), including an updated curriculum. The DLIs supporting reduction in disparities include: (i) expansion of pre-primary education, especially in disadvantaged areas; and (ii) needs-based infrastructure development. Two other DLIs support enhanced sector financing and effective program monitoring and reporting. The World Bank is also the supervising entity for a Global Partnership for Education grant of $100 million for PEDP3. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Achievement of 48 out of the 54 year 0 to year 5 DLI targets. ■■ Completion of three rounds of the National Student Assessments (Grades 3 and 5) in 2011, 2013, 2015. ■■ Teacher recruitment and deployment completed according to merit-based recruitment procedures. ■■ At least 65% competency-based questions introduced in the Primary Education Completion Exams (PECE) ■■ International standard diploma in education piloted and expanded nationwide (accredited by the University of Dhaka). ■■ Pre-Primary education scaled up to 100% government primary schools and newly nationalized schools ■■ Receipt of textbooks within the first month of the academic year by over 90 percent of primary schools for all years under the program ■■ Construction of over 28,000 classrooms and 19,700 wash block facilities; priority given to remote/underprivileged areas. ■■ Use of electronic government procurement for construction works by procuring entities ■■ Launch of an on-line data collection and management system to conduct the Annual Primary School Census. ■■ Use of country system for fiduciary arrangements to the extent possible and web based accounting system rolled out to all cost centers IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate of Primary Education, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education KEY PARTNERS: Asian Development Bank, UK’s Department of International Development, European Union, Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Japanese International Cooperation Agency and UNICEF 10 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: SECONDARY EDUCATION QUALITY AND ACCESS ENHANCEMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: Jul 31, 2008 Effective: Sep 4, 2008 Closing Date: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 395.60 GoB 40 Total Cost 435.6 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Special measures taken over the last couple of decades have enabled more Bangladeshi children than before, especially girls, to continue their education at the secondary level. But it still remains a challenge for children from low-income families to access a good-quality education. The Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project (SEQAEP) aims to improve the quality of secondary education, systematically monitor learning outcomes and increase access and equity in 215 project upazilas (sub-districts). The project provides stipends and tuition to disadvantaged girls and boys based on proxy means-testing (PMT), in addition to incentives to students, teachers, and schools in 215 upazilas to encourage them to perform better. Eligible students receive stipends of $15 to $40 a year if they maintain 75 percent average attendance, achieve a passing grade in final examinations and remain unmarried until they complete Grade 10. The project also includes measures to provide water and sanitation facilities in schools, and strengthen school management and accountability systems while helping to develop stronger reading habits. Financial rewards are given to the teachers and institutions that consistently increase the number of students appearing in and passing the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Pass rate in SSC examinations was higher than 75 percent in project areas. ■■ Supported approximately 9.9 million student-years (58 percent girls) under the stipends program. ■■ More than 8,995 institutions were supported under the SSC institution award. ■■ Awarded more than 386,000 students for academic performance while supporting some 2006 institutions in English, Science and Mathematics and about 8.1 million students in developing a reading habit. ■■ 96% of the project institutions have received Improving School Facilities (ISF) grants. ■■ Learning Assessment carried out nationally in year 2015 and year 2017 IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Education KEY PARTNERS: Agrani Bank, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, Local Government and Engineering Department, Directorate of Public Health and Engineering, Teachers Training College 11 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: Mar 17, 2009 Effective: May 13, 2009 Closing date under Additional Financing (AF): December 31, 2018 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit (Orig.) 81 GoB 10.8 Total cost 91.8 IDA Credit (AF) 125 GoB (AF) 21.3 Total Cost (AF) 146.3 Total (Orig. + AF) 238.1 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Government of Bangladesh allocates about 2.2 percent of gross domestic product to education, but just 0.2 percent is dedicated to tertiary education. With 85 percent of the tertiary education budget feeding into recurring expenditures, development programs for promoting and establishing research and innovation in higher education institutes (HEIs) remain under-funded. Additionally, there is still no effective mechanism linking university research with industry and business at home or abroad. Low connectivity and inadequate information and communication technology penetration further limit knowledge exchanges and collaboration among HEIs and their researchers with local and global research platforms. The project aims to improve the quality and relevance of the teaching and research environment in higher education institutions by encouraging both innovation and accountability within universities, and by enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of the higher-education sector. The project promotes academic innovation among eligible public and private universities through a competitive funding mechanism known as the Academic Innovation Fund (AIF). Based on a set of selection criteria, the AIF is granted through four windows: (i) improvement of teaching and learning; (ii) enhancement of research capabilities at the universities; (iii) university-wide innovations including establishment of Technology Transfer Office; and (iv) innovation and university-industry collaboration. The project also supports the establishment of quality assurance mechanisms at national and institutional levels for the tertiary education sector. In addition, the project has established the Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN), which connects universities to a high-speed data communications network, enabling teachers, researchers, and students to access the latest knowledge, inter-university video classes and engage in collaborative research. The University Grant Commission (UGC) Digital Library has also been established and is operational with public and private universities. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ 353 academic innovation grants awarded to 27 public and 9 private universities through 4 rounds. 10 university-industry collaboration grants and 8 grants for establishment of Fabrication Labs (Fab Lab) have been awarded to spur innovation under Window 4. The AIF grants have supported research and innovations including enhanced methods for breast cancer detection, vaccination for farm animal disease, etc. as well as dissemination of new knowledge through production of 224 peer-reviewed academic journals. ■■ BdREN connectivity is fully functional at the UGC and in 36 public and private universities. ■■ UGC Digital Library is fully operational, providing 72 member universities (33 public, 38 private and 1 international) and 2 research institutions access to over 34,000 e-re- sources (research databases, e-journals, e-books). ■■ Quality assurance mechanism has been introduced through establishment of Institutional Quality Assurance Cells (IQACs) in 69 public and private universities, which are conducting around 800 self-assessments. The Accreditation Council Bangladesh (ACB) Act 2017 has been passed by the Parliament on March 7, 2017 to provide the legal framework for quality assurance across all higher education institutions in Bangladesh. The Project will continue to provide technical support on: (a) building of innovation ecosystem at universities; (b) establishment of fully functional and sustainable Fab Labs; (c) establishment of ACB; and (d) establishment of fully functional BdREN and UDL. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: University Grants Commission, Ministry of Education KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable 12 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: REACHING OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN PROJECT II KEY DATES: Approved: Oct 2, 2012 Effective: Jan 30, 2013 Closing: Dec 31, 2017 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 130 USAID 3.8 BETF GoB 7.5 Total cost 141.3 *As of Sept. 2014 Sep 14, 2014 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In 2010, nearly five million primary school-aged children were out of school in Bangladesh – many of these children had never enrolled, while others had dropped out before completing the primary cycle due to poverty. Children from the poorest quintile were reported to be disproportionately left out of the schooling system. These children were deprived of an education, reducing their chances of finding higher-earning jobs that could lift them and their families out of poverty. Building on the success of the first Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROSC) project, ROSC II provides a second chance at primary education to restore that opportunity. The project aims to improve equitable access, retention and completion in quality primary education for out-of-school children in selected under-served areas. ROSC II reintegrates out-of-school children into the education system through learning centers called Ananda schools (schools of joy), which are established in selected upazilas (sub-districts) with high-poverty and low-enrollment and completion rates. As ROSC students tend to be older, teachers observe a flexible schedule, with students taught by a single class teacher until they are ready to join mainstream secondary schools. These centers also provide education stipends to students to lessen the financial burden on families, in addition to providing free books, stationery, and school uniforms. The project builds upon the experiences of both public and NGOs and blends formal education with non-formal means of delivery to the young learners, providing them with an opportunity to complete grade five and transition to secondary education. The project also tries to empower disadvantaged rural communities to establish, own, and manage Ananda schools with support from the government and local education NGOs. In addition, the project aims to pilot initiatives in selected urban slums for child domestics, a pre-vocational skills training scheme for older ROSC students, and an Early Grade Reading program for current ROSC students. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS ■■ Enrollment of 690,000 out-of-school children (49 percent girls and 87 percent from disadvantaged families) in 20,400 supported learning centers in 148 of the most disad- vantaged upazilas and 3,100 children in 17 urban slums of Dhaka. ■■ A total of 919 ROSC students and graduates are being given prevocational training for self-employment. ■■ Average grade retention rate stands at 64 percent, with the attendance rate at 87 percent and teacher absence rate below 15 percent. ■■ A total of 19,377 teachers have been given foundation training and 4,000 center management committee members have been trained for the operation and management of learning centers. ■■ Most Ananda schools have water and sanitation facilities, and 80 percent of teachers at them are women. ■■ For the first time, ROSC students participated in the 2013 national learning assessment for the primary level. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate of Primary Education. KEY PARTNERS: USAID, Save the Children 13 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: COLLEGE EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: June 3, 2016 Effective: August 31, 2016 Closing: June 30, 2022 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 100 Government 30 Total Project cost 130 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Improving skills and productivity are crucial to Bangladesh’s quest to accelerate economic growth and become a middle-income country. However, the current skill levels of the labor force are unlikely to support future market demands. The National University (NU) college system accounts for about 1.6 million, i.e. nearly two-third of all tertiary students in over 1,700 affiliated government and nongovernment colleges in Bangladesh. The NU’s large number of government and nongovernment colleges, enrollment, and extensive network make it the critical subsector for bringing about the necessary quantitative and qualitative improvements in the tertiary education sector and the workforce. The project aims to strengthen the strategic planning and management capacity of the college education subsector and to improve the teaching and learning environment of participating colleges. As a first intervention in the subsector, College Education Development Project (CEDP) focuses on building the NU college system’s capacity to plan, manage, implement, and monitor their institutional programs and strengthen the foundation for the next phase of development activities. The project supports the development of a Strategic Plan for the College Subsector, to provide directions and goals for the college education subsector and a consensus-based plan of action. Through the availability of competitive grants, CEDP promotes institution-led activities that focus on creating a quality teaching and learning environment in government and non-government colleges. The Institutional Development Grants (IDG) will focus on areas such as: (a) upgrading basic teaching-learning facilities and Internet connectivity; (b) improving market relevance of college education through the development of soft skills of students and linkages with the industry/employers; (c) introducing quality assurance; and (d) strengthening management capacity and upgrading the fiduciary system in the colleges. CEDP promotes the professional development of teachers through training offered by the Training Consortium, comprising national training-offering agencies and the University of Nottingham as an international partner to ensure global best practices in teacher training. Additionally, the project aims to fill teacher vacancies in government colleges and improve recruitment process of teachers for non-government colleges. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: Key achievements so far: ■■ The National Strategic Planning Committee and expert groups for development of the Strategic Plan formed. ■■ Around 2,500 lecturer posts filled for improving teaching strength in the government colleges. ■■ 99 Master Trainers initiated their program of study at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus leading to a Master of Arts in Education upon successful completion. ■■ More than 100 competitive institutional development grants to be awarded to government and non-government colleges for improving the teaching-learning environment. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: National University and University Grants Commission, Ministry of Education KEY PARTNERS: National University (NU), Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), Bangladesh Open University (BOU), National Academy for Educational Management (NAEM), University of Nottingham (UoN) 14 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: HEALTH SECTOR SUPPOR PROJECT (HSSP) KEY DATES: Board Approval: July 28, 2017 Effective: n/a Closing: December 31, 2022 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 500 Government 385 GFF Grant 15 Project Cost 900 Co-financing expected 200 Total Project cost 1,100 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The project objective is to strengthen the health, nutrition and population (HNP) sector’s core management systems and delivery of essential HNP services with a focus on selected geographical areas. The three project components are: (a) Governance and Stewardship, (b) HNP Systems Strengthening, and (c) Provision of Quality HNP Services. The project results are defined as disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs), the verified achievement of which will determine disbursement from the project. The project is fully aligned with the Government of Bangladesh (GOB)’s $14.7 billion fourth HNP Sector Program. Starting in 1998, the government and its development partners (DPs), including the World Bank, supported development of the health sector through a sector-wide approach (SWAp), implementing a series of multi-year strategies and programs financed from both domestic and external sources. From this collective effort, Bangladesh has made notable progress in improving HNP outcomes. At the same time, there are gaps in basic HNP outcomes and service coverage, particularly in Sylhet and Chittagong divisions. Other challenges are also now emerging such as the growing health needs of adolescents and urban populations. Domestic government spending on health has increased and will continue to increase as a share of program financing, requiring robust systems to manage these funds effectively. There are financing, governance and management systems challenges to be addressed for this transition. The government’s fourth HNP sector program, which the HSSP will support, is seen as setting the stage for this transition and ultimately the achievement of the HNP-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The legal agreements for the project financing were signed on August 28, 2017. The project is expected to become effective by October 2017. ■■ Grant from five DPs for a total of $170 million is expected to be finalized in early 2018 to co-finance the project. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) KEY PARTNERS: Global Financing Facility (GFF) Financiers include: Norway, Global Affairs Canada, Department of International Development for the United Kingdom, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United States Agency for International Development. 15 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: SAFETY NET SYSTEMS FOR THE POOREST PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: June 26, 2013 Effective: Nov 17, 2013 Closing: Dec 31, 2017 (a request for extension of closing date to June 30, 2019 is currently being processed) FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA $466 Government $2,172** Project Cost $2,672 Additional financing Additional financing request of $245 million is currently being processed. Total Project cost $2,672 *as of June 30, 2016; revised amount after partial cancellation. **based on FY14 to FY17 forecast allocation of recurrent government budget of five major safety net programs. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite remarkable progress in poverty reduction, extreme poverty in Bangladesh remains high, with large numbers of people vulnerable to systemic shocks. The Government of Bangladesh recognizes that shocks and vulnerability are mainstream problems for the poor and currently implements several safety net programs as response measures. Well- designed and implemented safety nets not only reduce poverty and vulnerability but have shown to improve women’s wellbeing. Despite the numerous ongoing interventions, large numbers of poor people remain out of reach of safety nets. There is a scope for better targeting of benefits in some of the largest programs, improving delivery mechanisms and monitoring systems, as well as enhancing transparency measures. The Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief (MoDMR) which implements approximately one-third of the country’s social protection budget, is currently utilizing IDA resources to improve performance of its major programs. The Statistics & Informatics Division (SID) is also supporting this process, given its mandate to develop a national household database (NHD) towards better targeting of social assistance, which in the medium term is also expected to improve the quality of a significant portion of public expenditure on safety net programs. The Safety Net Systems for the Poorest (SNSP) Project aims to improve the equity, efficiency and transparency of major safety net programs to benefit the poorest households. Component 1 (Support to MoDMR Safety Net Programs) provides performance-based partial reimbursement of government spending under selected safety net programs; Component 2 (Strengthening of MoDMR Program Administration & Transparency) provides resources to improve implementation quality, including the development of management information systems, beneficiary outreach and engagement strategies, training, etc. towards the achievement of higher level objectives; and Component 3 (Development of the National Household Database) provides resources to conduct a nationwide census, establish a comprehensive targeting system, and contribute to improving coordination among various safety nets programs. The proposed additional financing will scale up activities geared towards improved targeting of the poor, a robust management information system and digitization of safety net payments. The additional financing is also expected to cover cost overruns and losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Improved pro-poor targeting of financial resources of major safety net programs ■■ Improved field level implementation and monitoring capacity of major safety net programs ■■ Improved transparency measures by piloting digital payments and grievance reporting ■■ NHD data collection consisting of approximately 8.5 million households has been completed. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Department of Disaster Management (DDM) (Components 1 & 2); Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) (Component 3). KEY PARTNERS: Using external funds, including UK-DFID and RSR Trust Funds, the project has benefited from a number of pilots focused on digital attendance and payments mechanism through the Bangladesh Post Office and finalizing data collection strategy for the NHD. 16 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: INCOME SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR THE POOREST KEY DATES: Approved: December 16, 2014 Effective: April 16, 2015 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA $300.00 Government $3.37 Project Cost $303.37 Additional financing N/A Total Project cost $303.37 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction and human development outcomes, extreme poverty and vulnerability remain stubborn problems. The country ranks sixth in the world on prevalence of stunting. The incidence of low birth weight is also among the highest at 22 percent, with maternal under-nutrition at about 24 percent. The poor, in particular, experience under-nutrition. Improving nutrition and cognitive development opportunities for poor children is critical to arrest intergenerational transmission of poverty and presents an early window of opportunity to address inequality and improve outcomes later in life. Failure to invest adequately in the wellbeing of children from an early age has long-term implications for children and society as a whole, because it increases the likelihood of poverty in adulthood and perpetuates intergenerational transmission of poverty. The Income Support Program for the Poorest Project (Jawtno) is a conditional cash transfer program that provides income support to poor mothers in selected locations while increasing the mothers’ use of Child Nutrition and Cognitive Development services and enhancing local-level capacity to deliver safety nets. Quarterly cash transfers will be made to eligible households based on their fulfillment of co-responsibilities linked to the growth and development of their young children (up to age 5). These include: (i) utilization of antenatal care services up to four times during pregnancy; (ii) use of growth monitoring and promotion services; and (iii) attendance at child nutrition and cognitive development awareness sessions. The average size of the monthly benefit is between $15-23, depending on the beneficiary profile, and falls within 20 percent of the estimated monthly per capita expenditure of the target population. In keeping with the government’s family planning policy, only the first and second born children will be eligible, to help prevent distorted incentives. The project also provides technical assistance to the implementing agency to facilitate administration and implementation of the cash transfer program, which includes building partnerships with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics for pro-poor targeting of beneficiaries; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the use of community clinics to deliver services and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications for the use of biometric Post Office cash cards for beneficiary payments. A robust monitoring and evaluation framework has also been designed to assess progress in achieving the project’s objectives through third party monitoring and evaluate the impact of cash transfers on household poverty and children’s health outcomes. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The project will be implemented in 43 upazilas (sub-districts), identified based on poverty and malnutrition criteria, across northern Bangladesh, reaching up to 600,000 mothers and their families. ■■ A comprehensive child nutrition and cognitive development curriculum has been endorsed by the Government for use during counseling sessions with mothers. ■■ Approximately 4,000 beneficiaries have been enrolled across select locations. ■■ Beneficiary services and cash transfers are expected to commence from October 2017. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Division; Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives KEY PARTNERS: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Post and Telecommunication and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. The project is also supported by trust fund resources including the Rapid Social Response and the Early Learning Partnership, as well as funding from the UK Children’s Investment Fund Foundation for the impact evaluation. 17 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM – PHASE II KEY DATES: Approved: Jun 5, 2015 Effective: September 30, 2016 Closing: September 30, 2021 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 176.60 IFAD 23.86 USAID 7.43 Govt. 6.50 Total cost 214.0 * as of June 30, 2017; revised amount after partial cancellation BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: National Agricultural Technology Program Phase II Project (NATP-2) builds on the successes of its predecessor NATP. It will support the government’s strategic priorities in agriculture, i.e., increasing production, achieving food security, supporting adaptation to climate change, and enhancing nutrition through safer and more diversified food. The overarching principle of NATP-2 is to promote a more demand-driven approach to improvement of agricultural technology and modernization of on-farm practices that takes into account the growing demand from consumers for safer food, as well as the needs of farmers for more diversified production. NATP-II will contribute directly to the Ministry of Agriculture’s (MoA) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock’s (MoFL) priority of increasing farm yields and diversifying agricultural production by improving agricultural research and extension. Its dual field-level strategy will deepen the interventions initiated by the previous project in existing sub districts and expand the geographic coverage to include new sub districts. NATP-II will cover 57 of the country’s 64 districts and span a broad range of agro-ecological zones across Bangladesh. The project will be implemented over a six-year period in up to 270 of the country’s 493 sub-districts (or upazilas); this includes 107 upazilas already covered under NATP, plus up to 163 new upazilas. The primary project beneficiaries will be smallholder farmers (i.e., small, marginal and landless farmers). The project will promote gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment to ensure that a significant proportion of direct beneficiaries are female. Other direct project beneficiaries include extension workers, agricultural researchers, and to a lesser extent, rural entrepreneurs. The project development objective for NATP-2 is to increase agricultural productivity of smallholders’ farms and improve smallholder farmers access to markets in selected districts. It will achieve the PDO by strengthening the capacity of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) and the extension services to generate and diffuse agricultural technologies aimed at increasing farm productivity and reducing post-harvest losses and also by promoting the sustainability of existing and newly created farmers CIG groups and producer organizations by facilitating their linkages with the market. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Introduced homestead gardening, poultry farming and goat-rearing with at least 35% women participation in project activities. ■■ Benefit over 1 million farmers; expected average annual yield increase in certain agricultural commodities at the end of the project from 14-40 percent (crops), 30-40 percent (livestock), and 60-100 percent (fisheries); ■■ Over 8,400 tons of agricultural commodities sold annually through new structures/arrangements. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Ministry of Agriculture (Lead Ministry) and Ministry of Fishery and Livestock KEY PARTNERS: International Fund for Agricultural Development with Joint Loan co-financing; US Agency for International Development with Grant parallel co-financing. 18 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: NUTON JIBON LIVELIHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: February 25, 2015 Effective: August 03, 2015 Closing: June 30, 2021 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 200.00 GoB 20.00 Total cost 220.00 * as of June 30, 2017 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Nuton Jibon Livelihood Improvement Project (NJLIP) is the follow-up project to the Empowerment and Livelihood Improvement “Nuton Jibon” Project, also called Social Investment Program Project II (SIPP II), which was closed in December 31, 2015. The project development objective of NJLIP is to improve livelihoods of the poor and extreme poor in selected districts. The NJLIP aims at providing support to around 500,000 households in 2500 villages of 12 poverty-prone districts of the country. In addition 3,142 villages (excluding 120 villages from where the project exited) of SIPP-II are also being supported through second-tier institutions called ‘Nuton Jibon Community Society’ (NJCS), which are formed at cluster and district levels. Thus, 1,158,661 (including 658,661 HHs of SIPP-2) extreme poor and poor households of 5,642 villages of 88 Upazila in 22 districts are directly benefitting from this project. More than 95 percent of the total beneficiaries are women. The project will work on (i) Second generation activities in nine districts supported by SIPP II; (ii) Seven districts which have ongoing SIPP II villages and new villages in additional Upazilas; and (iii) Development of village institutions and livelihood activities in five new districts (Chandpur, Comilla, Khulna, Satkhira, Shariatpur and one Upazila from Gopalgonj. The Project also provides support for nutrition awareness, business partnership linkages, and youth employment generation. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ As of June 2017, the project has included 346,350 beneficiaries in addition to 526,928 beneficiaries of SIPP-2 bringing the total to 873,278 beneficiaries, which is 109% of the outreach estimation of 800,000 for FY 2017. The end of project target (500,000 HHs) cannot be achieved since only 423,861 (84.8%) HHs are available from all 2,500 villages. Now the project is proposing to mobilize an additional 480 new villages to achieve the end project target; ■■ A total of 346,350 beneficiaries including 26,590 youths have been mobilized into Nuton Jibon Group (NJG); ■■ A total of 13,178 vulnerable people were identified in the project areas of whom 11,588 received a one- time grant totaling about BDT 69.33 million. More than half (50.5%) of the vulnerable people who received a one-time grant joined Nuton Jibon group, of whom 97% have started savings and 99% have also started micro-scale Income gen- erating activities with the grants; ■■ All 2,500 villages received 1st instalment of Institutional Development Fund (IDF) whereas 1,360 villages have received revolving fund known as Shabolombi Fund. 1,159 villages out of 1,360 managed to distribute SF loans among members; ■■ As of June 2017, a total of 434 villages received Community Infrastructure support fund (CISF) for constructing Gram Samiti (GS) office buildings. GS office construction has begun in 334 villages and a total of 71 villages have completed construction work. Furthermore, a total of 151 other infrastructure sub-projects such as culvert, tube wells, drain etc. have been completed; ■■ All Nuton Jibon Group members (346,350) are depositing savings on a regular basis and have accumulated a total of BDT 130.54 million that has been deposited into their bank accounts. ■■ A total of 5,760 Producer groups have been formed of which 315 PGs received registration from the Department of Co-operatives (DoCop). As of June 2017, a total of 57 producer groups received 1st installment of Productive Investment Fund (PIF) worth BDT 22.60 million; and ■■ More than 10,350 youth received skill development loans of which more than 7,000 youth managed to get employed (self-employment and wage employment). IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Social Development Foundation (SDF) under Ministry of Finance, GoB KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable 19 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: MODERN FOOD STORAGE FACILITIES PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: December 30, 2013 Effective: 27 May 2014 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 210 Beneficiaries 5 Total cost 215 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite strong economic growth and a steady decline in poverty in Bangladesh over the past decade, natural disasters regularly cause serious damage to the country’s infrastructure and agricultural, severely affecting food access and food availability for the poor and vulnerable. The expected increase in the frequency and intensity of weather-related shocks makes it imperative that the government enhance its preparedness to address food insecurity in disaster-prone areas. The Public Food Distribution System (PFDS) is a core element of the government’s food security strategy. The modern food storage facilities proposed for construction under this project could considerably improve the efficacy of the government’s emergency response and recovery efforts in disaster-prone areas, and if grain stocks are properly managed, could enhance the efficiency of its PFDS at the same time. The Modern Food Storage Facilities Project’s overall objective is to increase the grain reserve available to households to meet post-disaster needs and improve the efficiency of grain storage management. Project components include improving the storage capacity for grain by financing the construction of modern steel silos for rice and wheat with a capacity of about 535,500 tons in the form of modern grain storage silos in up to eight different pre-selected strategic locations. There will be 130 bins having 6-35 bins per silo. Total storage capacity will be 535,500 MT. Two steel silos will be used for storing wheat and six silos for storing clean rice. The project will facilitate provision of household storage facilities (household silos) particularly in the disaster-prone areas of the coastal zone for about 500,000 households. It will finance investments in small-scale storage at the rural household level, which is expected to bring important benefits to the farming community in the form of safer storage of rice seed (which is more valuable than commercial grain). Another component will finance costs required to ensure adequate overall management of the project, monitoring and evaluation of the activities implemented, and capacity enhancement of selected stakeholders. The project has been restructured to adjust project funding resulting from the decision not to proceed with the signing of the Bangladesh Climate Change and Resilience Fund Agreement due to its early closing date. Additional financing from the IDA will be considered in due time if and when funds are needed. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ All preparatory work such as site development, construction of boundary/retaining walls at seven sites have been completed, except Barisal site where then progress is 39% only due to relocation of site because stay order by High Court on the original site. The new site identified required dismantling of 13 old go-downs within the premise of Barisal CSD, and auctioning for dismantling has been completed. ■■ As of August 2017, 32,000 Household Silos (HHS) have been delivered by HHS Manufacturer, Madina Polymer Industries Ltd. and now production capacity has increased to 20,000 HHS/month by commissioning additional two machines. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Directorate General of Food under the Ministry of Food KEY PARTNERS: International Finance Corporation expected to provide technical assistance in public private partnership for management of silos. 20 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: GHORASHAL UNIT 4 REPOWERING PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: December 21, 2015 Effective: May 15, 2016 Closing: March 31, 2022 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 217 GoB 46 Total cost 263 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although Bangladesh is rich in natural gas reserves, current gas production is below demand due to a low level of exploration work and inadequate gas transmission systems. Availability of gas through further gas exploration works will likely take a long time. About one third of the available generation capacity in Bangladesh is based on gas-based steam cycle technology, operating at very low efficiency. In line with the apparent shortages in natural gas production, the government has prioritized to improve the efficiency of the existing gas based power plants. This project is a step forward in that direction. The project objective is to increase generation capacity and efficiency of the targeted power plant. The key activity of the Project is to convert Unit 4, one of the four 210 MW gas-fired steam units at Ghorashal Power Station (GPS), into a combined cycle unit for an upgraded total capacity of 409 MW. The steam unit is currently generating 170MW and the overall efficiency of the unit is around 31%. The project would increase the overall efficiency of the unit to 54% and the generation output will also be more than doubled with only 30% increase in the gas requirement. Fuel consumption (per GWh) would be reduced by 44%, which would also lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Technical Assistance (TA) component would finance an Owner’s Engineer for the Project and also focus on capacity building and institutional support to the GPS as well as Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ 210 MW gas-fired steam units converted into a 409 MW combined cycle unit ■■ Overall efficiency increased to 54% from the current efficiency level of 30% ■■ 303 PJ fuel savings in projected lifetime ■■ 311,936 tCO2e reduction in GHG emissions over the project life IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 21 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: RURAL ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION KEY DATES: Approved: February 27, 2014 Effective: September 16, 2014 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 600 Government 237 Total Project cost 837 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Only about 66 percent of rural households in Bangladesh have access to grid electricity, and even these consumers suffer frequent and prolonged power cuts. Currently, electricity supply is about 8,500-9,000 megawatts (MW), against a peak demand of about 10,000 MW. Electricity availability and the number of consumers have grown steadily in recent times. While the government made substantial investments to extend the rural low-voltage system network to support new connections, the rural medium-voltage distribution system and the associated transmission system received relatively less attention. As a result, the rural electricity system is now over-loaded and experiences frequent load- shedding, leading to higher technical losses and service interruptions. The objective is to reduce system losses and enhance capacity in the rural distribution network, primarily in the eastern part of Bangladesh. The project aims to rehabilitate and augment the distribution network of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) in support of reducing systems losses and enhancing capacity for carrying additional electricity. The project is also supporting transmission enhancements by the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB). ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Electricity losses per year in the project area to be reduced from 13% to 10.5% by 2020 ■■ 1,800 Megavolt Ampere (MVA) capacity addition in the 33/11 kV network of the project Palli Bidyut Samities (PBSs) ■■ 6,000 km distribution lines to be constructed or rehabilitated under the project by 2020 – current achievement 2,500 km ■■ 389 km transmission lines to be constructed or rehabilitated under the project by 2020 IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd. (PGCB). KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 22 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM – PHASE II KEY DATES: Parent Project Approved: Sept 20, 2012 Effective: Feb 20, 2013 Additional Financing Approved: June 19, 2014 Closing: December 31, 2018 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financier Financing IDA 155.00 USAID+BCCRF+GPOBA+KFW 60 Local beneficiaries 66.1 NGO of borrowing country 125.7 Government 52.4 Additional financing 78.40 Total Project cost 537.60 *As of September 10, 2017 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Bangladesh energy sector faces many challenges, including acute shortage of electricity supply; dependence on high-cost liquid fuel-run plants for mitigating supply shortages; shortage of natural gas, which is the dominant primary fuel for power generation; inadequate investments in power generation and natural gas exploration and production; inadequate tariff to cover costs; weak governance and inadequate autonomy of the corporatized public sector entities; limited human resources capability; and inadequate capacity of the regulator. Off-grid renewable energy is thus the only near-to-medium-term option left for millions of people in the remote areas of the country. The Solar Home Systems (SHS) program of Bangladesh, supported principally by the Bank with other development partners, has emerged as a viable electrification option for lighting and other basic services in areas without grid access. The development objective of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy development Project is to increase access to clean energy in rural areas through renewable energy. There are three components: The first is access to electricity. This component supports the SHS and other renewable energy options for increasing access to electricity. The second component of the project is household energy. This component supports the efforts of various Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in providing rural households with clean cooking solutions. The third component of the project is sector technical assistance. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: The project is meeting or exceeding its objectives. ■■ The target of reaching 1.664 million households, farmers, and businesses with access to clean energy services by June 2017 had been exceeded by September 2016; it has reached 2.08 million households, farmers and businesses by March 2017. ■■ End-of-project target for SHS of 1.03 million has been exceeded with 1.2 million supported by March 2017. Target for ICS of 1 million was achieved by the project by January 2017. ■■ Under IDCOLs solar mini-grid portfolio, a total of 25 solar mini-grids were approved, of which, 9 mini-grids are in operation with a combined capacity of 1.3 MWp projected to connect 7,214 households and businesses and 16 mini-grids are under construction (3.2 MWp) with 11,426 customer connections. 613 solar irrigation pumps are operating (9.6 MWp), of which 505 are supported by RERED II. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: IDCOL, POWER CELL, REB KEY PARTNERS: USAID, Kfw, Global Partnership of Output-Based Aid (GPOBA), The Global Alliance For Clean Cookstoves (GACC) 23 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: POWER SYSTEM RELIABILITY AND EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: April 26, 2017 Effective: Not yet effective Closing: December 31, 2021 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 59.00 Government 18.00 Project Cost 77.00 Additional financing (Not applicable) Total Project cost 77.00 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the last five years, Bangladesh has more than doubled its electricity generation capacity to meet growing demand. Today, about 80 percent of the population has access to electricity, in urban areas almost everyone has access to electricity, whereas only 70 percent of households have access in rural areas. Further, with economic growth, demand for electricity has far exceeded supply. There is about 1,000 MW capacity shortage and supply-demand mismatch which causes fluctuation in system frequency that can result in outages. With a rapid increase in the size of the power system, Bangladesh now faces challenges of ensuring quality and reliability of supply. As the government aims to double electricity generation capacity again in the next five years, it will be important to expand the transmission network and optimize the national power system operation to accommodate the increased power flows. The Power System Reliability and Efficiency Improvement Project will meet the country’s energy needs by improving reliability and efficiency of the country’s power system, with the aim of providing reliable and low cost electricity to citizens. The project will help address bottlenecks and modernize the overall power system. The Project will also reduce power outages and load-shedding, as well as cut electricity generation costs. This will be achieved by modernizing the electricity generation processes and practices, with installation of new software and hardware as well as upgrades to the transmission system. The project will also lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the use of carbon-intense fuel in electricity generation. With significant fuel saving, the project will benefit the government with fiscal savings. Reliable and low-cost power supply will make doing business easier and benefit households. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The project will provide better quality of electricity service to end-users and reduce the operating cost of the power system. ■■ It will improve the reliability and efficiency of supply. An optimal dispatch practice will lower the cost of generation and reduce the use of expensive liquid fuels. ■■ The project will stabilize fluctuations in frequency and voltage that will avoid damage of customer’s appliances and generators. ■■ It will reduce power outages and load shedding as well as risks of partial or full grid failure. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Power Grid Company of Bangladesh. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable 24 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: SIDDHIRGANJ POWER PROJECT KEY DATES: Parent Project Approved: Oct 30, 2008 Effective: Mar 31, 2009 Additional Financing Approved: November 13, 2015 Effective: June 15, 2016 Closing: June 30, 2018 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 504.00 GOB 148.5 Total cost 652.50 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Electricity demand in Bangladesh has increased at an average rate of 10 percent per annum in recent years, with peak demand reaching about 10,000 megawatts (MW). Yet per capita generation remains among the lowest in the world (433 kilowatt hours), and present generation capacity at around 9,000 MW falls far short of peak demand. Although the supply situation has improved recently, availability and reliability of supply are the key issues. Load shedding and outages occur in irrigation/summer season that affect households, commercial enterprises, and industries. The sector is financially weak, access to capital is severely constrained and prices do not cover costs, necessitating large government subsidies to keep the key institutions operational. Increasing shortages of natural gas, the primary fuel for power generation, have added to the sector’s challenges. The Siddhirganj Power Project aims to increase electricity supply to the Bangladesh power-grid network by constructing a 335 MW combined cycle power plant, (CCPP) as well as an 11-kilometer 230-kilovolt power evacuation system, and a 60 km 30-inch gas transmission pipeline. The combined cycle design of the power plant is a comparatively clean technology with lower heat emissions and higher thermal efficiency. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ By October 2017 the simple cycle power plant is expected to add 217 MW to the national grid. ■■ The steam cycle of the power plant is scheduled for completion in June 2018 when it will add the total 335 MW capacity to the grid. ■■ Construction of the power evacuation system is complete, and it is transferring 250 MW of electricity from the other power plants of Siddhirganj to the greater Dhaka area. ■■ The gas line is almost complete and has improved the gas supply situation in the Siddhirganj and Narayanganj regions. It is transferring 250 million cubic feet of gas from Bakhrabad to Siddhirganj. IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES: Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh, Gas Transmission Company Ltd., and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable 25 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: CLEAN AIR AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: May 12, 2009 Effective: August 19, 2009 Closing: December 15, 2018 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 62.20 Government 9.05 Project Cost 71.25 Additional financing 35.00 Total Project cost 106.25 *As of August, 2017 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dhaka ranks high among the world’s major cities in terms of poor urban air quality. Substantially reducing air pollution could save up to 3,500 lives and avoid up to 230 million cases of respiratory diseases annually in Bangladesh. In economic terms, this is equivalent to around $500 million in health care costs and reduced productivity per annum. The Clean Air and Sustainable Environment project (CASE) is the first program of its kind to tackle pollution from two of the Bangladesh’s biggest polluters, brickfields and urban transport, as well as ensure safe mobility for people in the capital. The project aims to improve air quality and safe mobility in Dhaka through the implementation of demonstration initiatives in urban transport and brick-making. This involves support for the adoption of cleaner brick manufacturing technologies that require less energy. The project also encourages research into technology alternatives such as non- fired bricks. In addition, the project provides technical support (i) to strengthen environmental laws that introduce stricter standards and stronger “polluter pays” principles for industrial pollution (ii) to the newly established Air Quality Wing (AQW) at the Department of Environment (DoE), that is responsible for air quality monitoring, data analysis and reporting and public information and overall management. In urban transport, the project is demonstrating safe pedestrian mobility in Dhaka by (i) rehabilitating and improving sidewalks (ii) constructing footbridges and (iii) traffic management measures by improving intersections, installing traffic signals and training traffic police. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Installation of 11 Continuous Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAMS) in eight cities to monitor major air pollutants and generate real-time air quality data. ■■ Completion of 10 clean and energy-efficient brick kiln pilots (with another two underway), which emit around 60-70% less particulate matter than traditional brick kilns and save about 30% fuel. ■■ Air Quality Index (AQI) regularly published on project website (www.case-moef.gov.bd). ■■ Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Construction Control Act approved and the rules have been submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). ■■ Completion of 70 kilometers of sidewalks and road improvement, and 36 intersection improvements. ■■ Construction of 23 footbridges, with two others in advanced stage of completion ■■ Installation of 62 traffic signals connected with solar panel and battery. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Ministry of Environment and Forest, Department of Environment, Dhaka South and North City Corporations, and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority. KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 26 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: COASTAL EMBANKMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT-PHASE 1 KEY DATES: Approved: June 26, 2013 Effective: Nov 24, 2013 Closing: Dec 31, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 375 GoB CIF 25 Total cost 400 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh’s coastal zone is prone to multiple threats. Sixty-two percent of the coastal land has an elevation of up to 3 meters and eighty-three percent up to 5 meters above mean sea level. The coastal zone constitutes 32 percent of the land area and is home for nearly 28 percent of the population (i.e., nearly 42 million). The coastal population is projected to grow to 61 million by 2050. A higher percentage of the population lives below the absolute poverty line in the coastal area than in the rest of the country. A recent World Bank study on the cost of adapting to extreme weather estimated that eight million people are currently vulnerable to inundation depths greater than three meters due to cyclonic storm surges. This number will increase to 13.5 million people by 2050. There is an urgent need to rehabilitate and upgrade protection polders – areas of low-lying land - and enhance the resilience of coastal areas to cyclones, tidal and flood inundations, and salinity intrusion. Coastal embankments are an integral part of the disaster risk reduction program for Bangladesh. There is clear evidence that embankments provided an effective buffer during the tidal surge resulting from Cyclone Sidr in 2007, damages and losses were much lower and lives were saved in areas where effective embankments were present. CEIP1 aims to: (i) increase the area protected in selected polders from tidal flooding and storm surges, which are expected to worsen due to climate change; (ii) improve agricultural production by reducing saline water intrusion in selected polders; and (iii) improve the government’s capacity to respond promptly and effectively to a crisis or emergency. The Project has the following five components: ■■ Rehabilitation and Improvement of Polders. ■■ Implementation of Social and Environmental Management Frameworks and Plans. ■■ Construction Supervision, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, and Coastal Zone Monitoring. ■■ Project Management, Technical Assistance, Training and Strategic Studies. ■■ Contingent Emergency Response. The project will rehabilitate 17 polders in six coastal districts. The rehabilitated polders will provide direct protection to the 760,000 people living within the polder boundaries and enhance the resilience of the coastal areas to cyclones, tidal and flood inundations, and salinity intrusion. This in turn will enhance people’s livelihoods through increased agricultural production during normal weather and reduce loss of life, assets, crops and livestock in the event of a disaster. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Rehabilitation of 17 polders in six coastal districts: Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Barguna, Patuakhali, and Pirojpur ■■ 108,800 hectares to be protected ■■ Improved protection for 760,000 people living within polder boundaries. ■■ 623 km embankment to be rehabilitated ■■ 794 km drainage channel to be upgraded ■■ 129 drainage structures. to be replaced or upgraded ■■ Poverty reduction and stimulated economic development from facilitating the growth of farm and non-farm activities in the coastal area. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Water Development Board, Ministry of Water Resources KEY PARTNERS: Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR, a fund within the Climate Investment Fund Framework). 27 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: LOW INCOME COMMUNITY HOUSING SUPPORT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: April 5, 2016 Effective: October 17, 2016 Closing: December 31, 2021 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 50.0 Government 7.0 Total Project cost 57.0 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: While Bangladesh has made significant strides over the past two decades in reducing poverty, around 21 percent of Bangladesh’s urban population continues to live below the poverty line. This means that more than eight million Bangladeshis live on less than $ 2 per day. Such poor urban households live in inadequate and insecure houses, often in unsanitary conditions and face difficulties in accessing employment, made worse by having little or no social protection. With one of the highest urbanization rates in Asia, the situation continues to worsen for an increasing number of urban poor in Bangladesh. Promoting the inclusion of the urban poor into growing opportunities in cities can help to promote growth and shared prosperity. The Low Income Community Housing Support Project (LICHSP) is a pilot program that builds on organized and networked communities in the country supported by various urban poverty programs. The project will bring together government systems, local communities and private lenders in a community-based and flexible approach to secure tenure, improve onsite infrastructure and extend affordable housing loans leveraging community systems. The project is expected to cover three municipalities in its pilot phase, benefitting around 24,000 urban poor. The project will also advance the development of affordable housing microfinance products. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The project is expected to benefit around 24,000 urban poor by providing a pathway to improved tenure, services and housing by leveraging a community based approach ■■ The project is also expected to set up a housing microfinance mechanism that can be extended to address constraints in access to credit among the moderately poor and poor households. ■■ The NHA is planning to launch program activities in the first city in October 2016; testing for housing microfinance products has already begun. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: National Housing Authority, Ministry of Housing and Public Works Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation KEY PARTNERS: 28 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE AND SERVICES PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: January 14, 2014 Effective: April 6, 2014 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit $410.00 million GoB $61.76 million Total cost $471.76 million * as of June 30, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated and rapidly urbanizing countries in the world. The population density and high urban growth are putting great pressure on basic urban services, particularly on local governments, district towns or municipalities and city corporations that are entrusted to provide such services. Bangladesh has 331 urban local bodies (ULBs), comprising 10 city corporations and 321 municipalities. Despite progress in the decentralization reform agenda, the capacity of these urban institutions is still weak: they have limited fiscal autonomy and decision-making powers, inadequate own-source revenues, and weak systems of accountability. Infrastructure in these ULBs is very inadequate, and whatever assets they have are poorly maintained, if at all. The MGSP’s project development objective is to improve municipal governance and basic urban services in participating ULBs, and to improve the government’s capacity to respond effectively to emergencies. It is designed to provide incentives to ULBs that demonstrate significant improvements in planning, financial management, and accountability. The project is implemented through the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) for 26 selected ULBs in the Dhaka-Chittagong growth corridor and through the Bangladesh Municipal Development Fund (BMDF) (under a grant-loan-equity subproject financing scheme) for ULBs that meet creditworthiness criteria. The project is also pursuing intensive capacity-building activities to enable ULBs to perform better and carry out their functions effectively. It also features a contingent emergency response component to enable ULBs to carry out disaster response activities if needed. The project was restructured on May 30, 2017 to adjust the design of the project in line with the capacities of LGED and BMDF, as well as that of the participating municipalities. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: The project has achieved the following results so far: ■■ About 650 people are directly benefiting from improved local basic services or facilities that were constructed or rehabilitated under the project. Forty-six percent of the beneficiaries are women (slightly higher than the end of the project target (45%). The number of beneficiaries is expected to increase substantially in the remaining imple- mentation years when the larger infrastructure sub-projects are implemented. ■■ In the initial governance performance assessment, all 26 target ULBs have achieved an aggregate rating of at least 60% (considered the passing rate) on key indicators on municipal planning, social accountability, public financial management and public revenue mobilization. ■■ The loan repayment ratio (i.e. the total annual loan amortization paid by ULBs as a percentage of the total annual loan amortization due for the period) from BMDF participat- ing ULBs improved from 80% to 85%. The ratio is expected to reach 90% by end of the project. ■■ 267 kilometers of roads, 70 kilometers of drainage, and 14 local facilities (including kitchen markets, a bus terminal, a community center and others) have been constructed or rehabilitated under the project. ■■ About 2,000 ULB staff and other local stakeholders have received training on improving local governance and implementating sub-projects. IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES: Local Government Engineering Department and the Bangladesh Municipal Development Fund KEY PARTNERS: Municipalities Association of Bangladesh, Institute of Planners of Bangladesh, Institute of Architects of Bangladesh and the Institution of Engineers of Bangladesh 29 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: MULTIPURPOSE DISASTER SHELTER PROJECT (MDSP) KEY DATES: Approved: December 16, 2014 Effective: March 12, 2015 Closing: September 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 375.00 GoB 1.70 Total Cost 376.70 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh is subject to a tropical monsoon-type climate, prone to cyclones, flooding, and drought. Bangladesh is also at risk for earthquakes and tsunamis, sitting at or near the juncture of several active tectonic boundaries. Cyclones typically affect Bangladesh in the fall and spring, the intervals between the dry season and the monsoon season.. Cyclones move northward across the Indian Ocean and almost every year at least one makes landfall in Bangladesh. The coast is home to nearly 40 million people. Cyclones affect the region with strong winds accompanied by powerful storm surges and widespread inundation over a vast area. After the severe cyclone of 1970, which killed an estimated 300,000 people, the Government of Bangladesh pledged to improve protection of the coastal population. In the subsequent decades, the government constructed a network of cyclone shelters in the coastal areas, and developed an early warning system for local communities called the Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP). Between 1970 and 2007, around 1,700 cyclone shelters were constructed, with the aim of providing protection from high winds and storm surges common during cyclones. The growing network of cyclone shelters and the community-based early warning system has served to save lives and assets. The Multipurpose Disaster Shelters Project (MDSP) is a large-scale, disaster risk mitigation infrastructure project that strengthens emergency preparedness and will significantly reduce vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. This builds on initial interventions in multipurpose disaster shelters advanced under the Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP), considered the first phase of investments. The project is expected to have an impact on long-term disaster resiliency in Bangladesh, focused particularly on the coastal region. MDSP would focus on meeting these high priority needs by providing construction of 556 new shelters and the improvement of 450 existing shelters. The project will also invest in connecting roads and communication networks to shelters, increasing accessibility and effectiveness. It is expected that by safeguarding lives and assets, the project will contribute to goals of continued growth and shared prosperity. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The project is expected to benefit nearly 14 million people living in the nine coastal districts of Bangladesh by improving access to safe havens in the event of a natural di- saster. This would serve to build the resilience of local communities to such natural calamities, and help to speed recovery by protecting critical assets. In addition, the project aims to construct multipurpose buildings, especially primary schools. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Engineering Department, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. KEY PARTNERS: 30 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: URBAN RESILIENCE PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: March 24, 2015 Effective: Aug 3, 2015 Closing: June 30, 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 173.00 GoB 6.5 Total Cost 179.5 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. It is highly exposed to a variety of hazards, such as floods, cyclones, tidal surges, and earthquakes. The GOB has shown that proactively investing in Disaster Risk Management saves lives, reduces economic losses, and protects development gains. The GOB has successfully instituted disaster risk reduction policies and invested in infrastructure along coastal areas to mitigate the risk from floods and cyclones. Despite these gains, the vulnerability of Bangladesh’s urban areas is not as well understood, or addressed, in the country’s policy framework. With 7 million people living in Dhaka and 15 million living in the wider Metropolitan area, Dhaka is particularly at risk. Land use planning regulations, and public service delivery in the urban areas have failed to keep up with the pace of growth. The current regulatory environment is somewhat opaque and the enforcement mechanisms for urban development control do not address structural safety, creating an environment that lacks practical enforcement capability and accountability. In this context, physical and social vulnerabilities keep increasing and any hazards, such as floods, fires, building collapses, or earthquakes, present a formidable threat to life and prosperity. City-level actors are critical protagonists in the effort to develop resilient and livable cities in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Urban Resilience Project seeks to create an enabling environment for coordinated, locally managed disaster risk management based on three core pillars of disaster resilience in an urban setting: i) effectively respond to urban disasters; ii) reinforce existing infrastructure; and iii) ensure resilient construction. The project activities include support: ■■ To reinforce the emergency management response capacity. ■■ To develop the consensus-driven analytical foundation required for longer-term investments to reduce risk in the built environment of Dhaka, Sylhet and other cities through the vulnerability assessment of critical and essential facilities. ■■ To put in place the institutional infrastructure and competency to reduce long-term disaster vulnerability in Dhaka, through improved construction, urban planning and development. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ 68 wards will be facilitated with decentralized emergency response services in Dhaka (DNCC/DSCC) ■■ 20 wards will be facilitated with decentralized emergency response services in Sylhet ■■ Multi-agency exercises and drills will be completed by the final year of the project ■■ 2 fixed control rooms, 13 emergency management warehouses and 17 auxiliary control rooms will be constructed or renovated for FSCD. ■■ 8 emergency management warehouses, 2 emergency operations centers, 3 disaster risk management offices, 10 zonal control rooms, 1 urban resilience unit will be con- structed or renovated for DNCC/DSCC/SCC facilities. ■■ Satellite Control Room facilities equipped with 6 ECT suites and 51 flyaway communication kits will be available for DDM/DNCC/DSCC/SCC/FSCD. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (for DNCC itself, Dhaka South City Corporation, Sylhet City Corporation, Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD)), Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakhha (RAJUK- Capital Development Authority), Department of Disaster Management (DDM) and Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit (PCMU). KEY PARTNERS: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is financing Urban Building Safety Project (UBSP) which is being implemented in parallel to Urban Resilience Project (URP). 31 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: WEATHER AND CLIMATE SERVICES REGIONAL PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: June 3, 2016 Effective: May 4, 2017 losing: December 31, 2022 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 113.00 GoB 15.73 Total Cost 128.73 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone and climate vulnerable countries in the world. While Bangladesh has made impressive gains in a number of social indicators, these stand to be jeopardized unless substantial investments are made in strengthening disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and services based on weather, water and climate information. The Bangladesh Meteorology Department (BMD) is able to issue only 24-hour general weather forecasts and does not yet have the required land, ocean or atmospheric observation network, hardware, software or human resource capacity for issuing accurate short term weather or longer range climate forecasts that can be used at the national or regional level. The hydrological network, managed by the Hydrology Division of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), remains primarily manual with manual data collection, transmission and storage with only limited real-time hydrological and flood forecasting. Even though the weather and water dependent agriculture sector that contributes to almost 16 percent of the country’s GDP and provides employment to about 60 percent of the people, farmers in Bangladesh do not get any systematic agro-meteorological advisories or bulletins to be able to make appropriate decisions and adjust to weather variability. Through investments in monitoring systems, forecasting and services, this project makes a critical contribution to strengthening disaster preparedness and climate resilience in Bangladesh and also contributes to development of weather based information services that are expected to support decision-making in key productive sectors in the country. The project development objective is to strengthen Government of Bangladesh’s capacity to deliver reliable weather, water and climate information services and improve access to such services by priority sectors and communities. The project comprises four components: ■■ Strengthen meteorological information services, ■■ Strengthen hydrological information services and the early warning system ■■ Develop agrometeorological information systems ■■ The Contingent Emergency Response Component, which enables that in the case of a major disaster, the GOB may request the Bank to re-allocate project funds to this com- ponent to support response and reconstruction. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: KeResults expected include: ■■ Improved capacity for forecasting weather patterns and extreme events ■■ Development and provision agromet information services to farmer groups ■■ Systematic measurements of user satisfaction to ensure improvements in service delivery At the economywide level, improved weather and hydromet services will benefit Bangladesh’s general population and key economic sectors whose productivity is at risk from hydromet hazards. Institutional beneficiaries include the weather, water, climate and agromet information related service providers. The project will also support community level early warning systems for extreme weather events in 4 districts (two for flash flood early warning and two districts for drought early warning) benefiting approximately 1 million people. The development and delivery of agromet services will directly benefit approximately 30,000 farmer groups. Agromet information kiosks will be established in 487 Upazilas covering the entire country and display boards at 4051 Union Parishads will help reach the information to local levels. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Meteorology Department (BMD), Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable. 32 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: LOCAL GOVERNANCE SUPPORT PROJECT 3 KEY DATES: Approved: December 31, 2016 Effective: March 29, 2017 Closing: December 31, 2021 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 300.00 Government Project Cost 396.13 Additional financing (if applicable) Total Project cost 696.13 *As of September 11, 2017 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Union Parishad (UP), the lowest as well as the oldest of the three tiers of Local government in Bangladesh, has its roots in the 19th century. It is a key element of the overall governance landscape and has the statutory responsibility for the provision of services to communities at the local level. Over the long period, especially during the past decade its functions and responsibilities evolved. The Local Governance Support Project 3 aims at institutionalizing the reforms, introduced under the two predecessor projects (LGSP 1 and LGSP 2) by mainstreaming the fiscal transfer and accountability systems, as an integral and sustained element within the overall inter-governmental and fiscal transfer architecture to local governments of Bangladesh. It will also maintain and expand local infrastructure and service-delivery through enhanced incentives for strengthening institutional performance during and beyond the project. The next tier is the urban local governments known as Pourashavas (municipalities). Local institutions traditionally played a lesser role in delivering services due to limited responsibilities, lack of adequate resources and staff. Government services are often delivered in a top-down manner, with little accountability to local communities. Recent initiatives have shown that empowered Union Parishads and engaged constituents can make effective decisions both transparently and accountably at the grass roots levels. Consequently, there has been a strong government-led push towards decentralization. Both LGSP1 and LGSP 2 have provided solid foundation for deeper decentralization reforms through successfully establishing a formula-based intergovernmental fiscal transfer system to UPs that ensures enhanced transparency and predictability. A number of systemic issues will be addressed: (i) fiscal transfer for UPs under the two previous operations has been through a ‘project’, i.e., it has been budgeted as part of the Project Budget in Government’s Annual Development Program (ADP), but is not a regular part of the GOB budgetary system; (ii) annual UP audits and performance assessments (PA) are financed by project funds and are not a regular procedure in the GOB local government system; (iii) the MIS platform needs to be institutionalized in the Local Government Division, currently managed by the PMU; and (iv) there needs to be further strengthening of citizen participation in planning and budgeting. The proposed LGSP 3 will address these issues by institutionalizing the system as an integral element of the government’s regular budgetary system in place of the current ad-hoc nature of providing funds under projects. From the fourth year of the project, the Basic Block Grants (BBGs) will be fully funded from GOB budget. GOB will undertake full responsibility for UP financial audits and performance assessments as part of its regular procedures. LGSP 3 also aims to introduce the improved fiscal transfer mechanisms to the next tier of local government institutions,. Pourashavas, the urban local governments, which face similar constraints to those faced by the UPs. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: Expected Results by 2021 ■■ 100% of BBGs to Ups are provided out of GOB budget ■■ 100% of UP audits and financial performance are carried and managed by LGD ■■ UP own-source revenue increases annually by 5% IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government and Cooperatives KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable 33 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: EMERGENCY 2007 CYCLONE RECOVERY AND RESTORATION PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: November 06, 2008 Effective: December 24, 2008 Closing: December 31, 2017 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 305.78 GoB 1.66 BCCRF 23.06 GFDDR 3 KfW Parallel Fin. 4.86 Total Project Cost 338.36 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: On November 15, 2007, Cyclone Sidr made landfall across the southern coast of Bangladesh, causing extensive damage to lives and property. Overall, around 30 districts and nine million people were affected. Total damage and losses were estimated at about $1.7 billion. The project will support government efforts to facilitate recovery from the damage to livelihoods and infrastructure caused by Cyclones Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009, and strengthen disaster risk reduction and management. The project has six components: (i) restoration of the agriculture sector in Sidr/Aila-affected areas; (ii) improvement of existing multipurpose shelters and construction of new shelters; (iii) rehabilitation of coastal embankments; (iv) strengthening the capacity of the government’s disaster risk reduction management; (v) monitoring and evaluation to ensure effective implementation of the sub-projects; and (vi) a project management component to support the government in coordinating all project-related activities, strategic studies for the preparation of future operations for the long-term disaster risk reduction program, and technical assistance and training, as well as providing emergency support for future disasters during implementation. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Activities to restore the agriculture sector (under the first component of the project) were completed successfully in 2014. The activities exceeded targets, with crops by 33 percent, livestock by 13 percent and fisheries by 30 percent. 38,000 households have been provided with livestock and 37,000 with aquaculture inputs. ■■ 104,700 farmers have been trained through farmers’ field schools (FFS) on various new and improved technologies. ■■ 63 new and improved technologies (crops – 36, fisheries – 15 and livestock – 12) have been introduced. ■■ 230,000 households have been provided with field crops, irrigation and farm machinery ■■ 270 new disaster shelters have already been constructed. In total 353 new shelters will be constructed ■■ 459 existing disaster shelters have been improved ■■ 494.5 km of embankment has been repaired. In total 502 km of embankment will be rehabilitated by the end of the project. ■■ A Multi-hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (MRVA) Report has been finalized. ■■ The project also prepared feasibility reports for future investments. Of those, the Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Project, Coastal Embankment Improvement Project, and the Modern Food Storage Facilities Project are now under implementation. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Ministry of Local Government Rural Development & Cooperatives; Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Ministry of Water Resources; Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief; Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit (PCMU), Programming Division, Ministry of Planning; Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (FAO implemented on behalf of: Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Ministry of Agriculture; Department of Livestock Services (DLS) and Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Ministry of Food). KEY PARTNERS: Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, and KfW. 34 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: NORTHERN AREAS REDUCTION OF POVERTY INITIATIVE KEY DATES: Approved: Oct. 27, 2011 Effective: Mar 25, 2012 Closing: Dec 31, 2018 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 29.3 GoB 7.0 Misc. 3.5 Total cost 39.8 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The garment industry in Bangladesh accounts for 75 to 80 percent of Bangladesh’s export earnings, and has also played a significant role in providing economic benefits to poor and vulnerable women. Today, around 80 percent of the garment workers are female. Yet, the number of poor women from impoverished north-western districts joining the garments sector is much lower than the number of women garment workers from other parts of the country. Female garment workers constitute a highly vulnerable group, with few support systems in place that provide them adequate training or social services. For these women, their first few months in the city and at the factory are the most hazardous, deterring many women who are in desperate need of work from joining the industry. The Northern Areas Reduction of Poverty Initiative (NARI) aims to recruit 10,800 women from five districts in northern Bangladesh for an orientation course to help them make informed decisions about beginning a new life in one of three export processing zones (EPZs) in Dhaka, Karnaphuli, or Ishwardi. The women will be settled into newly built complexes, with transitional housing facilities at dormitories, giving them time to develop social networks and support systems. The project provides two and a half months of training in skills for the garment industry, allowing women to enter factories as semi-skilled workers. Trainees also will receive life-skills training, covering topics such as adjustment to city life, savings and remittances, safety and security, rights and responsibilities at the work-place, finding appropriate housing, contract negotiation, and health and fertility. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Three dormitories and training centers were constructed and are fully operational ■■ 1563 girls graduated by Aug 2017 and more training is underway. There are currently approximately 8000 jobs lined up and more will be created. ■■ The Information, Education Campaign to raise awareness in source areas, orient and recruit beneficiaries launched and is starting for the fifth batch. ■■ Dialogue is at a mature stage for partnering with the biggest brands and buyers (H&M, Walmart, Primark etc.) that source ready-made garments from Bangladesh to lever- age corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the operating costs of the project, and link the beneficiaries of the project with ongoing CSR activities at the factory and community level. Expected Results: ■■ Around 10,800 women will gain formal employment, and networks will be established to continue the flow of potential workers. ■■ Two and a half months of training will be provided and the project will place the trainees into employment through placement services built into the project. ■■ The women will be accommodated in transitional housing facilities for up to five months. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority. Coordinating Ministry: Ministry of Labor and Employment. KEY PARTNERS: Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association; Bangladesh Knit Manufacturers and Exporters Association. 35 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: REGIONAL WATERWAY TRANSPORT PROJECT 1 KEY DATES: Approved: June 16, 2016 Effective: March 20, 2017 Closing: June 30, 2024 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 360 Government 40 Project Cost 400 Additional financing (if applicable) Total Project cost 400 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Over the last few years, significant progress has been made on key regional cooperation issues along the “Eastern Corridor” of South Asia involving the BBIN (Bangladesh- Bhutan-India-Nepal) countries including development of the Bangladesh-India Coastal Agreement which allows goods to move by sea from Kolkata to Chittagong and renewal of the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) for five years with automatic renewal and additional ports of call and routes. This project supports regional and national connectivity for Bangladesh by improving the navigability of key waterways used for transport and trade. The development objective of the Project is to improve Inland Water Transport (IWT) efficiency and safety for passengers and cargo along the Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj Regional Corridor and to enhance sector sustainability. The Project will finance interventions aimed at improving IWT for cargo and passengers along the Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj river routes, and in so doing, stimulate traffic growth on the waterways and away from the already heavily congested roads along these routes. Main interventions include: navigation channel maintenance and improvement; navigation safety improvements; the construction, rehabilitation, and modernization of select river terminals; development of River Information Systems (RIS); institutional capacity development; and, funding for research and development to enable continuing sector improvement and sustainability. The Project consists of three components: (i) Improved Inland Waterway Navigation; (ii) Improved Services at Priority Inland Waterway Terminals and Landing; and (iii) Institutional Capacity Development and Sector Sustainability. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The Project Implementation Unit has been set up and key procurements are under way ■■ Expected by 2024: ■■ Number of days per year that the minimum advertised Least Available Depth (LAD) is available increases from 150 to 347 days, attracting more demand for IWT and stimu- lating trade and economic activity ■■ Availability of Aids to Navigation will increase from 30 percent to 95 percent, improving safety of navigation ■■ Travel time on the Dhaka-Chittagong Corridor for cargo vessels will decrease from 40 hours to 30 hours attracting more demand for IWT and stimulating trade and economic activity ■■ Regional trade and transit traffic will nearly double IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Agency (BIWTA), under the Ministry of Shipping KEY PARTNERS: DFID-supported South Asia Regional Integration Partnership, NDC (National Determined Contributions) Partnership Support Facility, Government of Netherlands. 36 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY PROJECT I KEY DATES: Approved: April 5, 2017 Effective: Not Yet Effective Closing: December 31, 2023 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 150 Government 20.42 Total Project cost 170.42 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh has enjoyed a period of strong economic growth, averaging more than six percent per year during the last decade. This is in part due to its impressive export performance, especially of ready-made garments. Bangladesh’s exports doubled their world market share between 1995 and 2012 and more than doubled in value in the last five years. However, Bangladesh’s relative cost advantage from being a low labor cost producer is diminished or sometimes wiped out by poor performance in trade facilitation. For example, Bangladesh manufacturers’ ‘Order to Delivery Cycle’ is 35 to 50 percent longer than many of their competitors. Trade-related infrastructure is also inadequate; the country’s land ports are unable to accommodate existing and potential trade volumes, contributing to transport and clearance delays for traded goods at Bangladesh’s border points. Further, a significant proportion of Bangladesh’s international trade procedures remains paper-based and continue to be managed manually, causing delay for border clearance and hampering private sector competitiveness. The Development Objective of the Bangladesh Regional Connectivity Project I is to improve conditions for trade through improving connectivity, reducing logistics bottlenecks and supporting the adoption of modern approaches to border management and trade facilitation. The Project will finance key development and improvement works at four land ports (Bhomra, Sheola, Ramgarh, and Benapole) along the Southwest to Northeast Corridor that are key to facilitating regional and transit trade. It will also support the development of a National Single Window system, which will allow traders to submit all import, export and transit information via a single electronic gateway. Lastly, the Project will support pilot activities to help address barriers to women becoming more integrated into regional and global supply chains and trading opportunities. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Increased Freight volume at land ports supported by the Project ■■ Reduced speed of truck clearance at land ports supported by the Project ■■ Reduced average time taken to meet regulatory requirements associated with import and export activities IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Land Port Authority, Ministry of Shipping; WTO cell, Ministry of Commerce; Department of Customs in National Board of Revenue; Ministry of Finance. KEY PARTNERS: DFID-supported South Asia Regional Integration Partnership 37 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: SECOND RURAL TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: September 20, 2012 Effective: November 28, 2012 Closing: April 30, 2018 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 302 Government 115 Project Cost 417 Additional financing Not applicable Total Project cost 417 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh has a rural road network of over 300,000 km. The country has made substantial investments in rural roads, mainly in network expansion. However, maintenance and rehabilitation are often neglected. Furthermore, the construction quality of rural roads is poor and the carrying capacity of parts of the rural road networks is inadequate. The rural road network provides access to economic, social and life enriching services and facilities for rural residents, many of whom live on the margin. The poor quality of the network also has serious road safety implications. The Second Rural Transport Improvement Project has been designed to address these problems. The objective of the project is to improve rural accessibility (connectivity) in project areas (covering 26 districts) and strengthen institutional capacity for sustainable rural road maintenance. The project has been improving and maintaining a total of 5,248 km of Upazila and Union roads. The project has also introduced the performance-based maintenance contract (PBMC) for 428 km of roads. Apart from the improvement and maintenance of rural roads the project has been involved in the following: (i), dredging 44 km waterways (a pilot endeavor); (ii) constructing 10 river jetties; (iii) developing 33 growth center markets; (iv) integrating road safety engineering measures and community road safety awareness-building in project districts; and (v) enhancing institutional capacity and governance of the implementing agency, Local Government Engineering Department. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The project has over 600 civil works contracts, almost all using e-procurement; ■■ 3,668 km (target - 4,820 km) Upazila and Union roads have been completed; ■■ Another 410 km (target – 428 km) performance-based maintenance contract roads have been repaired that would be maintained for the next five years; ■■ 25 km dredging of rural waterway (target - 44 km) has been completed; ■■ 19 growth center markets (target - 33) have been developed; ■■ A Rural Road Safety Manual and its accompanying training manual have been developed under this project, which is considered a premier work in the South Asia region; ■■ 500 school teachers have been trained and equipped with training materials to deliver road safety classes; ■■ The government has signed off most of the consultancy contracts under the institutional strengthening, capacity building and governance enhancement component of the project. Implementation of those contracts is either ongoing or completed. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Local Government Division KEY PARTNERS: Not Applicable 38 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: LEVERAGING ICT FOR GROWTH, EMPLOYMENT, AND GOVERNANCE KEY DATES: Approved: September 20, 2012 Effective: January 24, 2013 Closing: June 30, 2019 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 63.52 Government 1 (in-kind) Project Cost 64.52 Additional financing (40) Total Project cost 104.52 *As of September 11, 2017 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry has developed significantly over the past decade. The government recognizes the need to leverage electronic government (e-government) for public service delivery and to facilitate its reform efforts. However, the lack of shared IT hosting infrastructure, governance policies, and standards and structures present a major barrier to providing seamless electronic services and improving the public sector’s effectiveness and efficiency. The information technology (IT) industry sub-sector has also remained relatively nascent as compared to the telecommunications sub-sector, with total industry output estimated at $300 million per annum at the project’s initiative. The project will establish e-government foundations and institutional capacity for the government to leverage ICT for public sector modernization, and lay groundwork for an eventual whole-of-government approach for governance reforms and public service transformation to citizens and businesses. This project will also support the development of Bangladesh’s IT/IT Enabled Services (ITES) industry as the country possesses a comparative advantage in the sub-sector. The project aims to establish basic e-government foundations to support public-sector modernization; and catalyze growth of Bangladesh’s IT and enabled services industry for employment creation and export diversification. The project’s e-government component will provide critical ICT foundations to support public-sector modernization, and initiate transformation of the e-government agenda for the years ahead. This includes expansion of the national datacenter, training on e-government for relevant public officials, and establishing enterprise architecture, interoperability framework, cybersecurity standards and guidelines, and setting up the country’s computer incident response team. The IT/ ITES component will increase the competitiveness of Bangladesh’s sub-sector by increasing the quantity and quality of skills, provide strategic direction for industry development, and increase IT/ITES awareness and investments in the country. This includes relevant training for workers and middle management, institutional capacity building, and industry development strategy, promotion, and international business development. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ Percentage of ministries using two or more e-government technology foundations established under the project: 28 out of 40 percent to date. ■■ Improve Bangladesh’s ranking on the World Economic Forum’s Network Readiness Index by at least five places: Improved global ranking from 115 to 112 to date. ■■ Generating 30,000 direct IT/ITES jobs: Created 12,000 jobs to date. ■■ Increase IT/ITES industry revenue by $200 million: $120 million to date IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Bangladesh Computer Council KEY PARTNERS: 39 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: March 22, 2012 Effective: May 13, 2012 Closing: December 31, 2017 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA Credit 41.04 GoB 1.70 Other (Community/Pvt. Sponsor) 5.29 Total cost 48.03 *Project restructuring included cancellation of $25.15 million of IDA credit BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: National rural water supply coverage in Bangladesh is estimated to be around 97%, but water quality issues and contamination by arsenic have effectively lowered this figure to around 83%. Arsenic is the single largest threat to safe water service provision in Bangladesh. The quality of sanitation coverage is another area of concern, with only 37% of the latrines being hygienic. The poor infrastructure and facilities for water and sanitation services, along with increased demand, is making it difficult to provide reliable water and sanitation services. Built on the success of a previous World Bank project, BRWSSP aims to scale-up piped and non-piped water facilities, to provide safe and clean water to villagers in 383 Union Parishads under 33 districts with acute arsenic contamination and low coverage for safe water supply. The project also aims to provide hygienic sanitation facilities, bringing comprehensive improvement of water and sanitation in all the project target areas. The project is financing the construction of 37 piped water supply schemes and 14,000 water point sources, in hot-spot upazilas where piped water supply is not geographically or economically possible. The piped and non-piped water schemes, as well as hygienic sanitation facilities, are implemented through local partnerships involving beneficiary communities, local government authorities, Support Organizations, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and private entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, to fight the poor sanitation, BRWSSP aims to provide financial incentives for the poor to construct hygienic latrines; build local private sector capacity so that markets can better react to rise in demand; and increase the GOB’s role in ensuring that latrines are maintained and accessible to all. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ 1,172,600 (goal 924,000) people have been provided with access to improved water sources ■■ 16,800 (goal 14,000) community water points have been constructed or rehabilitated ■■ 8,000 (goal 14,000) new piped household water connections constructed ■■ 223,800 (goal 225,000) people have been provided with access to hygienic latrines ■■ 1,396,400 (goal 1,199,000) people have been provided with access to improved water sources and hygienic latrines IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) KEY PARTNERS: Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives 40 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: CHITTAGONG WATER SUPPLY IMPROVEMENT AND SANITATION PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: June 23 2010 Effective: October 27 2010 Closing: March 31 2020 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing AF IDA 155.52 47.49 Government 16.76 35.56 Project Cost 172.28 Total Project cost 255.33 *As of August 23, 2016 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh achieved the MDG target to halve the population without access to improved drinking water sources. However, only 32 percent of the urban population have piped water supply, most of which is concentrated in the major cities. Although 70 percent of the city population of Chittagong, the second largest city and a major sea port, have access to water supply most depend on alternative sources such as tube wells, tankers and street hydrants. The Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) is responsible for providing water, sewerage and drainage services in Chittagong City. The ongoing Chittagong Water Supply Improvement and Sanitation Project (CWSISP) aims is to increase access to safe water supply and improve CWASA’s institutional capacity and investment planning for sanitation and drainage in Chittagong City. The project focuses on (i) water supply improvement, (ii) investment planning for sanitation and drainage, and (iii) institutional capacity development and project management support. The project has been supporting the construction of selected water production, transmission, and storage and distribution facilities, with a special focus on inclusive and universal access to services. Most of the construction works are in an advanced stage of implementation. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The project has already provided access to improved water for 254,400 people. ■■ With additional financing, around 27,000 households will have access to reliable water supply, by installing 10,000 new piped household connections and rehabilitating 17,000 existing connections. In total 648,000 people are expected to get access to improved water supply when all activities are completed under the project. ■■ Water supply networks and facilities have been provided in six low income areas. ■■ The operation and maintenance (O&M) cost coverage from direct water sales revenue is presently 83 percent against the end project target of 85 percent. ■■ The Master Plans for Sanitation and Drainage are finalized and investment plans for sanitation, sewerage and drainage are being prepared. ■■ A number of technical assistance activities are currently underway to improve CWASA’s institutional capacity and planning for future investments. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) KEY PARTNERS: Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives; Dushtha Shasthya Kendra; Sustainable Upliftment Initiative Trust 41 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh BANGLADESH: POWER SYSTEM RELIABILITY AND EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEY DATES: Approved: April 26, 2017 Effective: Not yet effective Closing: December 31, 2021 FINANCING (in million US Dollars) : Financiar Financing IDA 59.00 Government 18.00 Project Cost 77.00 Additional financing (Not applicable) Total Project cost 77.00 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the last five years, Bangladesh has more than doubled its electricity generation capacity to meet growing demand. Today, about 80 percent of the population has access to electricity, in urban areas almost everyone has access to electricity, whereas only 70 percent of households have access in rural areas. Further, with economic growth, demand for electricity has far exceeded supply. There is a capacity shortage of about 1,000 MW and the supply-demand mismatch causes fluctuation in the system frequency that can result in outages. With the rapid increase in the size of the power system, Bangladesh now faces challenges of ensuring quality and reliability of supply. As the government aims to double electricity generation capacity again in the next five years, it will be important to expand the transmission network and optimize the national power system operation to accommodate the increased power flows. The Power System Reliability and Efficiency Improvement Project will meet the country’s energy needs by improving reliability and efficiency of the country’s power system, with the aim to provide reliable and low cost electricity to citizens. The project will help address bottlenecks and modernize the overall power system. The Project will also reduce power outages and load-shedding, as well as cut electricity generation costs. This will be achieved by modernizing the electricity generation processes and practices, with installation of new software and hardware as well as upgrades to the transmission system. The project will also lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the use of carbon-intense fuel in electricity generation. With significant fuel saving, the project will benefit the government with fiscal savings. Reliable and low-cost power supply will make doing business easier and benefit households. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPECTED RESULTS: ■■ The project will provide a better quality electricity service to end-users and reduce operating cost of the power system. ■■ It will improve the reliability and efficiency of supply. An optimal dispatch practice will lower cost of generation and reduce the use of expensive liquid fuels. ■■ The project will stabilize fluctuations in frequency and voltage that will avoid damage to customers’ appliances and generators. ■■ It will reduce power outages and load shedding as well as risks of partial or full grid failure. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Power Grid Company of Bangladesh. KEY PARTNERS: Not applicable 42 BANGLADESH COUNTRY SNAPSHOT > http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh