WB aid commitment uncertain beyond FY'09

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Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam said Sunday that the inflow of World Bank (WB) assistance beyond 2008-09 has become uncertain as the country is not prepared with project proposals for seeking fund support, reports UNB.
"The World Bank assured that there'll be no problem in financing the approved projects and those awaiting approval this fiscal year," he told reporters after a meeting with a World Bank team at the Planning Ministry.
"What is going to happen after this fiscal year is an uncertainty," the Finance Adviser said, adding that it could be taken care of later.
The 4-member World Bank team led by John Roome, the Bank's operations director for South Asia, met the Adviser to discuss the issues Bangladesh has been facing in the financial sector and identify possible areas of support the country needs.
During the discussion, the team appreciated the country's economic performance as well as its efforts in reducing poverty over the last 10-15 years. "The country achieved a quite remarkable degree of economic consistency in spite of political differences," Roome told reporters after the meeting.
Asked about the World Bank's plan about enhanced assistance programme to Bangladesh, he said: "It's not immediately clear when and where Bangladesh needs support."
World Bank President Robert B Zoellick recently announced that the Bretton Woods institution would significantly enhance their programme in developing countries in next three years in view of the global economic crisis.