ADB provides US$190m more for rural connectivity in Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Bangladesh on Sunday signed an agreement for US$190 million in additional loan for the ongoing Rural Connectivity Improvement Project that is upgrading rural roads, making agricultural areas more productive, and improving socioeconomic centers in rural Bangladesh.

Sharifa Khan, secretary of Economic Relations Division, and Edimon Ginting, ADB Country Director for Bangladesh, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides, says a press release.

“This project will help improve access to social services and boost economic opportunities in the rural areas, while making communities more resilient to climate change and natural disaster,” said the ADB Country Director Edimon.

Through this project, ADB will expand and improve rural road networks by making the road design and construction more climate and disaster resilient,” he added.

The ADB Country Director said this project also helps improve transport efficiency in rural areas, boost agricultural productivity, and generate employment.

The ongoing project, approved in November 2018, has upgraded about 1,700 kilometers (km) of rural roads, strengthen the capacity of rural infrastructure agencies and road users and improve rural road master planning.

More than 900-km of rural roads have been added to the original target since 2020.

This additional financing will further extend the improvement of another 1,350-km of rural roads with climate resilience design and improved safety features.

The project will also strengthen the capability of the Local Government Engineering Department in adopting the nature-based bio-engineering solutions for climate change adaptation.