Top JICA official in city to review financial support to Padma project

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Toshiyuki Kuroyanagi

FHM Humayan Kabir
A top Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) official arrived in Dhaka Saturday to review its financial support to the US$2.9 billion Padma Bridge project, officials said Saturday.
They said JICA Vice President Mr. Toshiyuki Kuroyanagi is likely to participate in discussions with the donors in Bangladesh to get ideas on the Padma Bridge project, which remains stuck up for long due to suspension of funding by four major donors.
"The Vice President will visit the Padma Bridge project site tomorrow (Monday). He will attend a meeting of the development partners in Bangladesh on Tuesday. The Padma Bridge issue is likely to be on the top of the agenda," a senior Ministry of Finance (MoF) official told the FE.
Under the earlier scheme of things, the JICA is to be a major fund-provider for building the Padma Bridge project as it confirmed its $400 million loan for it in 2010.
Later, the JICA fund was withheld due to cancellation of the $1.20 billion committed fund by the lead donor, World Bank (WB), for alleged corruption in the bidding process for the selection of the consultant of the Padma Bridge project.
JICA Dhaka office officials said Vice President Mr. Toshiyuki Kuroyanagi will visit the project site and meet some cabinet ministries including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his five-day stay in Bangladesh.
He will attend a function on the occasion of 40th anniversary of Bangladesh-Japan diplomatic relations at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University in Gazipur, for which Japan extended cooperation in different fields from the very beginning of its inception.
Mr Kuroyanagi, responsible for the South Asian region, will also visit the JICA-funded Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation's e-ticketing system for its bus service project and the Local Government Engineering Department's head office in Dhaka.
During his five-day stay, Mr. Kuroyanagi will meet, Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Planning Minister AK Khandker, and Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi, besides Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, JICA officials said.
Japan is the Bangladesh's largest bilateral donor as it provides between US$200 million and $400 million in aid annually for infrastructure development projects and to cut poverty. It provided nearly $7.50 billion assistance until the last fiscal year (FY), 2011-12, in support of Bangladesh's development efforts.