WB says ready to support government’s priority projects

The World Bank (WB) on Tuesday said it was ready to extend technical assistance for implementing the BNP government’s priority projects including the Family Card, countrywide job creation, and women empowerment.

World Bank officials also expressed their eagerness to collaborate in the activities of relevant sectors.

They expressed their interest to this end during a meeting with Prime Minister’s Adviser and Spokesperson Mahdi Amin, held at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Jean Pesme, World Bank’s division director for Bhutan and Bangladesh, led the delegation during the meeting.

During the meeting, both sides also exchanged views on potential areas of World Bank’s assistance for ensuring inclusive development in Bangladesh, people’s welfare and employment generation.

The two sides held discussions on projects including Family Card, Farmer Card, countrywide employment generation, increasing jobs for women, expanding technical and scholarship-funded education opportunities, and economic empowerment of women at the marginal and grassroots levels.

The meeting also discussed the BNP government's initiative to effectively expand the Family Card programme across the country, with a focus on bringing more poor and marginalized people—particularly women—under its coverage. It also emphasized the importance of developing a skilled workforce and further strengthening an employment-oriented education system.