WB South Asia head arrives today

World Bank South Asia vice-president Annette Dixon arrives in Dhaka today (Saturday) to help further strengthen the partnership between Bangladesh and the global lender. Her two-day visit will focus on the Country Partnership Framework that the World Bank is preparing, which will guide its work in the country for the next few years, the bank said in a statement. Bangladesh is important for the World Bank's strategy of working with countries to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity by 2030, it said. Earlier this year, the World Bank classified Bangladesh as a lower-middle income country, raising its status from a low-income country. Bangladesh is the biggest recipient of support from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries. The World Bank's current IDA portfolio in Bangladesh stands at nearly $8.3 billion with 36 projects.     — UNB