The government may request more assistance during World Bank Managing Director Axel van Trotsenburg's tour as he arrives today to join golden-jubilee celebration of development cooperation with Bangladesh, officials said.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and the WB Managing Director (operations) will take part in the '50 years of WB-Bangladesh partnership' celebration programme in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon.
Apart from joining the celebration ceremony, Mr van Trotsenburg, a Dutch-Austrian national, will visit some of WB-funded projects in Dhaka and Cox's Bazar during his three-day official visit to Bangladesh, Economic Relations Division (ERD) officials said Friday.
The World Bank is the largest multilateral development partner of Bangladesh as it has provided and committed nearly $35 billion worth of assistance to bankroll Bangladesh's development recipe in last 50 years till FY2022.
The World Bank confirmed US$2.16 billion worth of loans and grants for the country in the last financial year (FY) 2021-22.
"As Bangladesh's economy is growing well and the WB is one of the key development partners of the country, the visiting MD will try to observe some development works physically," says one ERD official.
He will visit Bangabandhu memorial museum, a higher-secondary school in old Dhaka, the national data center of the ICT Division, Rohingya camps and some other projects in Cox's Bazar, the officials said.
The World Bank top executive will also visit a readymade garment factory nearby Dhaka for watching the country's industrial development physically, the ERD official said.
Mr Trotsenburg is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister Monday. He will attend a dinner to be hosted by Finance Minister Mr Kamal this (Saturday) evening.
The finance minister, at the supper, is expected to urge the MD to extend the Bank's support to Bangladesh as the country is struggling with economic shocks amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
More budgetary support is part of the assistance to be sought, in order to meet the gaps in allocations.
Meanwhile, the 50 years of WB-BD partnership celebrations will be preceded by a panel discussion with Planning Minister MA Mannan, MIGA Vice President, Alternative Executive Director of the WB Dr Ahmed Kaikaus and economists from local think-tanks taking part.
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