Dhaka will seek more financial support from the World Bank as a high-level delegation of the global lender arrives in the city today (Friday) on a five-day visit, officials said on Thursday.
During the visit, the 12-member delegation from the WB headquarters will assess the projects being financed by the global lender, they added.
Economic Relations Division (ERD) officials said the WB team comprising nine Executive Directors (EDs), two Alternate Executive Directors (AEDs) and a senior executive will visit Bangladesh.
The members of the team including WB's ED for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka Ms Aparna Subramani, ED for Middle-Eastern countries Mr Merza Hasan, ED for USA Ms DJ Nordquist, and ED for some European countries Mr Geir Haarde will arrive in Dhaka today.
A senior ERD official said they will seek support from the WB for increasing funds for Bangladesh as the country will need huge investments in the coming years.
The Bangladesh government has taken almost entire funds from the WB's portfolio during the first two years of the three-year period IDA-18 package for Bangladesh.
The WB kept aside US$4.3 billion worth of portfolio in assistance for Bangladesh in its three-year tenure till the fiscal year (FY) 2020-21.
The ERD official said the WB team is expected to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on November 04 and other government high officials in Bangladesh.
Another ERD official said the high-powered delegation will visit some WB-funded projects in Bangladesh.
He said the team will also visit Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar on the second day of their visit (November 02) and will oversee the project the Bank is funding.
Besides, he said, they will visit a garment factory of New Age Group in Ashulia to see compliance at the factory and mobile banking support in the payment of salaries to workers.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group has financed the Bangladesh's mobile banking development project.
The team will also visit the Bangladesh's national data centre and assess the progress of the Leveraging ICT project under the Ministry of ICT, the ERD official said.
The WB team will leave Bangladesh on November 05.
