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ADB Awards Recognize Successful Development Projects In Bangladesh

DHAKA, BANGLADESH (05 February 2009) – Four Asian Development Bank-supported projects that are bringing improvements to rural infrastructure, power supply, livestock development, and secondary teaching in Bangladesh have won awards.

The prizes were presented to the project directors at a ceremony held in ADB’s Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM) last week. Senior government officials attended the event, along with ADB staff and members of the winning teams.

The winners are the Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project (implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department); the Second Participatory Livestock Development Project (implemented by the Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation and Department of Livestock); the Teaching Quality Improvement in Secondary Education Project (implemented by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education); and the West Zone Power System Development Project (implemented by the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd).

“The awards were given recognizing the project teams’ excellence in efficiency, integrity, transparency in procurement, effective project implementation, achievement of targets, innovations, strong leadership, overcoming project start-up delays, efforts in empowering women and other criteria,” said BRM Country Director Paul J. Heytens.

The Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project has been helping to alleviate rural poverty, by improving rural roads, ghats (boat landing stations), markets, and union council office complexes in 16 districts in Khulna and Barisal. It has enabled farmers to reach market more easily to sell their produce, and provides easier access to schools for rural children. In addition, hundreds of destitute women are being employed to plant and maintain road side trees.

The Second Participatory Livestock Development Project is supporting poor women farmers through entrepreneurship development in livestock. Along with boosting food security and incomes, the project gives them the chance to provide better education to their children and to help them save money to lease or buy agricultural land.

The Teaching Quality Improvement in Secondary Education Project is helping the government reform and modernize the secondary education teacher training system in Bangladesh, while the West Zone Power System Development Project has increased electrification in district towns and villages in southwestern Bangladesh, improved the reliability of supply, cut system losses, and expanded the capacity of the transmission and distribution systems.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region.

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