ADB provides $200 million to upgrade rural road network in Bangladesh

The government has signed agreements with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for $200 million in loans to improve the rural road network in Bangladesh.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 13 Jan 2019, 02:53 PM
Updated : 13 Jan 2019, 02:53 PM

Economic Relations Secretary Monowar Ahmed and ADB Country Director Manmohan Parkash signed the agreements on behalf of Bangladesh and ADB, respectively, at a ceremony in Dhaka on Sunday.

The total cost of the project, which is due for completion in November 2023, is $285.31 million. ADB will provide a concessional loan of $100 million and a regular loan of $100 million. The government will provide the remaining $85.31 million.

The assistance will support the government’s Rural Connectivity Improvement Project or RCIP to upgrade about 1,700 kilometers of rural roads to all-weather standards in 34 districts located in five divisions, according to an ADB statement.

It aims to support the government’s priority of delivering urban services in rural areas by increasing connectivity, providing greater access to social services and markets, and promoting the agriculture sector, benefiting over 51.5 million people, Parkash said in the statement.

The project will also improve the capacity of the rural infrastructure agency for rural road development; and enhance rural road master planning to enable the selection of priority rural roads for improvement using a geographic information system (GIS) covering the entire country.

The project also prioritises repair of roads damaged by flash floods in 2017.