Dhaka: The World Bank's (WB's) Board of Executive Directors has sanctioned US$250 million to enhance public sector performance in Bangladesh by promoting transparency, accountability, and efficiency across key government agencies.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Strengthening Institutions for Transparency and Accountability (SITA) Project is designed to support the Government of Bangladesh's ongoing reform efforts. These initiatives aim to modernize critical public sector functions, which are essential for improving data transparency, domestic revenue mobilization, public investment management, public procurement, and financial oversight.
The project will focus on strengthening governance structures and capacities in five key government agencies: the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the National Board of Revenue, the Planning Division, the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority, and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Gayle Martin, World Bank Interim Country Director for Bangladesh, highlighted the significance of the investment in leveraging the digitization of business processes to enhance transparency and reduce corruption. The project is expected to improve the quality and accessibility of public services, thereby increasing public trust in government institutions.
The project aims to streamline operations, improve service delivery within the targeted agencies, and enhance access to reliable public statistics, which are crucial for transparent and accountable decision-making and policy formulation. It will also modernize tax administration and increase tax compliance, improving revenue mobilization and fiscal sustainability.
Additionally, the project will work towards enhancing the efficiency and accountability of public spending, ensuring effective utilization of resources for the benefit of all citizens. It will develop a second generation of electronic government procurement (e-GP) and broaden its scope, along with strengthening and digitizing public audits.
The Government of Bangladesh and the World Bank are also preparing a development policy credit, scheduled for discussion by the World Bank Board later this month. This credit would support transparency and accountability in various sectors, including domestic revenue mobilization, the banking sector, data production and dissemination, public investment management, and social programme delivery.
Souleymane Coulibaly, World Bank Lead Country Economist and Task Team Leader for the project, emphasized the project's holistic approach covering five critical public institutions, which is expected to boost government effectiveness and contribute to sustainable economic growth. Coulibaly also noted that the project and the proposed development policy credit would complement each other, providing the government with the necessary tools for improving public financial management and public service delivery.
The World Bank has been a key development partner for Bangladesh since its independence, committing over $45 billion in grants and credits. In recent years, Bangladesh has been among the largest recipients of the World Bank's concessional IDA credits.