ADB to evaluate use, efficiency, efficacy of aid programmes in BD

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FHM Humayan Kabir The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB), will evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of its operations in Bangladesh, officials said Friday. "An independent team from the ADB headquarters will arrive in Dhaka on March 25 and do its evaluation works relating to its funded projects in Bangladesh, until April 03," a senior official at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) told the FE. He said the team will study how much the operations of ADB in Bangladesh have been relevant, responsive and effective. Bangladesh has come under close scrutiny of the multilateral and bilateral donors after the alleged Padma Bridge 'scam', where four lenders - the World Bank (WB), ADB, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) - committed to provide funds as the co-finenciers. ADB's Bangladesh portfolio currently includes 59 loans, amounting to a total of $5.22 billion, and 39 technical assistances (grants) aggregating a sum of $30.15 million. The average annual assistance by the ADB to Bangladesh currently stands at $900 million. The ADB's cumulative lending to Bangladesh totalled $13.96 billion against 226 loans, while its technical assistance funds for 419 projects stood at $216.19 million until February 2013. The country office of the ADB in Dhaka confirmed that the independent evaluation team from its headquarters in Manila, headed by principal evaluation specialist Hyun Hwa Son, will arrive in the city on March 25. The team will hold discussions with the officials of different ministries to evaluate the Bank-aided projects and programmes. It said the lender has selected this time Bangladesh as one of its aid-recipient countries for close evaluation and assessment of the outcome of its support to different sectors, areas and projects. The ERD officials said the team will hold meetings with major ministries and divisions like the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Railways, the Power Division, the Energy Division, and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, during its 10-day visit. Meanwhile, the ADB Dhaka office last week reviewed projects it has been financing in the country to assess implementation snags or obstacles and identify the ways to help overcome them. The representatives of the ADB Dhaka office, ERD and the government's various project implementing agencies were present in the last review meeting. "ADB has selected Bangladesh this year as one of the study cases from among its 67 member countries. The government has also taken the matter on a priority basis and if wants to extend pro-actively all necessary cooperation to the evaluation team," the ERD official said. Some other major donors of the country are also showing a greater interest than before, in the outcome of their operational activities in Bangladesh in the recent times, the sources indicated while stating that the government has also become extra-cautious about utilisation of external assistance funds in its different development projects or programmes. To ensure transparent and accountable use of its fund in Bangladesh, the WB has earlier included a 'governance' clause with projects that it finances in Bangladesh, following the allegations about Padma Bridge graft. Besides, JICA has recently emphasised the need for ensuring transparency and accountability about utilisation of its assistance in the country. Meanwhile, ADB, in the last couple of years, has emerged as one of the leading development partners of Bangladesh after the WB and the level of its annual assistance to the country has crossed over $900 million.