ADB awards its best BD team members

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has awarded its four best- performing project and programme teams in Bangladesh as part of incentives to promote efficient implementation of the donor-funded projects.
Kazuhiko Higuchi, Country Director of the ADB Bangladesh Resident Mission, presented the awards for the year 2014 to the winning teams at a ceremony in the capital Sunday, said an ADB announcement.
Two of the winning projects are Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project, executed by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), and City Region Development Project, also executed by the LGED.
The third winning project was the Third Primary Education Development Project implemented by the Directorate of Primary Education.
And the fourth one -- The Second Capital Market Development Program, executed by the Bank and Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance--won a special programme award for outstanding efforts in 2014.  
Senior government officials, project directors of ADB-assisted projects, members of the winning project teams, and ADB staff attended the awarding ceremony.
"The project and program teams were selected for efficiency, results delivery, effective project implementation, efforts to empower women, transparency, and other criteria," said Country Director Kazuhiko Higuchi.
The best-project-team-recognition programme was initiated in 2001, and had been a regular annual exercise by the ADB to promote development- effectiveness of ADB-assisted projects in Bangladesh.
The Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project, with a US$60 million loan from the ADB, is helping to reduce poverty and raise incomes in 21 districts of northwest and southwest Bangladesh by improving climate-resistant road connectivity, and upgrading marketing facilities with specific provision for women, said the official.
The project is enhancing rural people's access to social services, such as health and education, and to economic opportunities.
The City Region Development Project, with $120 million loan from the ADB, is supporting Bangladesh to overhaul urban planning, infrastructure, and services in two big city regions.
The project is improving energy-efficient and environment-friendly urban services, and strengthening management capacity for Dhaka and Khulna city corporations and adjoining secondary towns.
The project's outcome will include improved urban environment and infrastructure services based on effective regional and urban planning.
The Third Primary Education Development Project, with $320 million loan from the ADB, is supporting the government's priorities of providing quality primary education to all children of Bangladesh.
Together with eight other development partners, the ADB is supporting the project to impart efficient, inclusive, and equitable primary education and child-friendly learning. The project is helping to improve teaching and learning for all, reduce disparities, promote universal access and participation, decentralize the primary education system, and improve education program planning and management.
The Second Capital Market Development Programme, with $300 million loan, is supporting the government initiative to meet the long-term financing requirements and thereby address the current infrastructure investment gap in Bangladesh.
It also strengthens capital-market reforms to improve financial stability by reducing concentration in the banking system, reducing boom and bust cycles, and mitigate the negative impact that financial market instability has on the real economy.
    mazizur.rahman@outlook.com