Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (RRP BAN 47243)

DEVELOPMENT COORDINATION

A. Major Development Partners: Strategic Focus and Key Activities

1. The major development partners in rural infrastructure in Bangladesh are the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Danida (Danish International Development Agency), Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID), Government of the Netherlands, German development cooperation through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), German development cooperation through KfW, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank, and the World Food Programme (WFP). The development partners are involved in many areas of rural infrastructure, including rural roads, rural markets, construction of bridges and culverts, maintenance of infrastructure, flood rehabilitation, cyclone and flood shelters, area development, and capacity building of the local governments.

Major Development Partners Amount Development Partner Project Name Duration ($ million) ADB Rural Development Project 13: Infrastructure, Greater 1988–1997 91.00 Dinajpur and Jamalpur Districts SDC Rural Development Project 6: Infrastructure, Manikganj 1989–1997 9.50 District IDA, SDC, KfW Rural Development Project 7: Infrastructure, Greater 1989–1997 81.15 , Pabna, and Bogra Districts EC, Netherlands Rural Development Project 8: Infrastructure, Greater 1989–1997 23.00 Rangpur District Japan Flood Rehabilitation Project: (Roads and Appurtenant 1989–1997 94.00 Structures, 4th Revision) IDB Rural Development Project 3: Infrastructure, Greater 1993–2002 31.57 District (2nd Phase) Danida Rural Development Project 16: Infrastructure, , 1993–1999 60.00 Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Jhalokati, and Pirojpur Districts ADB Rural Development Project 18: Infrastructure, Greater 1993–1999 89.00 , , and Kushtia Districts USAID Construction of Bridge/Culverts through Monetized USAID 1993–1998 28.00 Flood Aid Provided Under PL-480, Title-III JICA Portable Steel Bridge Project: , , and Sylhet 1994–1997 36.00 Divisions EC Integrated Food Assisted Development Project 1994–1998 23.00 USAID Integrated Food for Development Project 1994–1999 121.00 CIDA Rural Maintenance Program (3rd Phase) 1995–1998 45.00 IDA, SDC Rural Development Project 11: Infrastructure in 1996–2002 198.00 Greater Rajshahi, Bogra, Pabna, and Dhaka Districts (Village Road and Market Development and Maintenance Project-2) (2nd Revised) GTZ, KfW Rural Development Project 14: Infrastructure, Tangail 1996–2002 26.50 District (2nd Phase) IDA, SDC Rural Development Project: Infrastructure, Greater 1996–2001 140.00 Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra, and Dhaka Districts Sida Rural Development Project 4: Infrastructure, Faridpur, 1997–2000 15.00 Madaripur, Rajbari, and Gopalganj District (3rd Phase) OPEC Rural Development Project 19: Infrastructure in Greater 1997–2004 30.50

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Amount Development Partner Project Name Duration ($ million) ADB, Sida, Rural Development Project 21: Infrastructure in Greater Rangpur 1997–2005 156.00 IFAD, JBIC Saudi Arabia Rural Development Project: Greater Dhaka District (Manikganj, 1997–1998 10.00 Munshiganj, Gazipur, , and Narshingdi District) IDB Construction/Reconstruction of Roads, Bridges, and Culverts 1997–2003 145.00 (Flood Damage Infrastructure) in Rural Area on Priority Basis Japan Construction of Bigger Bridges/Culverts on Important Feeder and 1997–2002 41.00 Rural Roads Project (Revised) SDC Rural Development Project 22: Infrastructure in Noakhali Zila 1998–2004 16.00 (Revised) JBIC Rural Development Project 24: Greater Faridpur, Rural 1998–2006 76.00 Infrastructure Development Project (Work Facility and Participatory Rural Infrastructure Development) Revised IDB Rural Infrastructure Development Project in Greater Sylhet District 1998–2004 35.00 DFID DFID-Aided Steel Bailey Bridge Construction Project (2nd Part) 1998–2003 16.00 Post Flood Rehabilitation Project (3rd Revised) Netherlands Portable Steel Bridge Construction Project under ORET Program 1998–2002 35.00 under The Netherlands Grant KfW Flood Damage Repair 1999–2001 2.60 KfW Rural Development Project: Infrastructure, Tangail District 1999–2001 7.50 (3rd Phase) ADB, KfW, GTZ Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project (RDB-25) 2002–2009 76.90 WFP Growth Center Connecting Road Program Ongoing 33.00 IDA Rural Transport Improvement Project (RDP-26) 2003–2010 196.00 JBIC Eastern Bangladesh Rural Infrastructure Development Project 2005–2009 104.00 IFAD, Netherlands Market Infrastructure Development Project in Char Land Regions 2005–2012 43.00 ADB, KfW, GTZ Second Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project 2006–2011 260.50 IDB Integrated Village Infrastructure Development Project 2006–2011 14.00 Danida Agriculture Sector Programme Support II: Rural Road and Market 2006–2011 62.00 Access Component 3 IDB Greater Rajshahi District Infrastructure Development Project 2006–2010 17.00 ADB, JBIC, CIDA Emergency Disaster Damage Rehabilitation (Sector) Project 2007–2010 45.00 2007 (Part B, Rural Infrastructure) IDB Agriculture and Rural Development Project in Greater Rangpur 2007–2011 4.22 District Netherlands Char Development and Settlement Project 3 2005–2010 5.00 World Bank Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project 2008–2013 42.00 Japan Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter Construction Project in Cyclone 2008–2011 10.00 (Sidr) Affected Areas. ADB, KfW Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project 2011–2017 75.90 ADB, IFAD, KfW Coastal Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Project 2013–2019 118.80 ADB = Asian Development Bank, CIDA = Canadian International Development Agency, DFID = Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, IDA = International Development Association, IDB = Islamic Development Bank, IFAD = International Fund for Agricultural Development, JBIC = Japan Bank for International Cooperation, JICA = Japan International Cooperation Agency, OPEC = Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, SDC = Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Sida = Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, USAID = United States Agency for International Development, WFP = World Food Programme. Source: Local Government Engineering Department.

B. Institutional Arrangements and Processes for Development Coordination

2. The project seeks to build partnership in several ways. It will improve road connectivity in 34 districts in northwest, southwest, and southeast Bangladesh, where Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is financing bridge construction under the Western Bangladesh Small and Medium Bridge Improvement Project. It will support institutional strengthening of the Local

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Government Engineering Department (LGED) by introducing smart road design features and bid packaging to ensure good governance in procurement, overloading control, and road safety along the corridor. JICA has supported capacity building of the Road and Highway Department for bridge maintenance, improving the attractiveness and performance of the road transport sector in Bangladesh. Development coordination is achieved through regular meetings of the Local Consultative Working Group, where the government and concerned development partners discuss the progress of rural infrastructure sector issues and the investment program.

C. Achievements and Issues

3. ADB prepared a country partnership strategy, which includes the transport and rural infrastructure sectors, in close coordination with its development partners. ADB, DFID, JICA, and the World Bank established a joint strategic framework in 2006 to assist Bangladesh, and agreed to conduct a joint evaluation of their assistance to the transport and rural infrastructure sectors. Development partners have closely coordinated their activities through regular meetings, and joint missions are organized to coordinate the work and requirements of development partners. In preparing the project, the LGED prepared a map indicating the districts to be covered by the proposed project by various development partners to avoid duplication and foster complementarity.

4. ADB has a strong record of coordination with development partners in transport and rural infrastructure. In 2008, an evaluation was conducted on the assistance of four donors to Bangladesh. The assessment reviewed the collaborative efforts of the four development partners, with a focus on alignment and harmonization. 1 The development partners showed strong collaboration in reforming and investing in Bangladesh Railway and establishing a sustained road maintenance funding mechanism.2 It gave a moderately positive overall rating.

5. Enhancing sector efficiency will require continuous coordination and harmonization— especially in the transport and rural infrastructure sectors. ADB's country assistance program evaluation suggested that ADB maintain its role as lead development partner in transport to facilitate the sector reform agenda.3 Close coordination between development partners should continue to ensure that sector reforms are pursued with consistent objectives.

D. Summary and Recommendations

6. ADB’s past and current interventions in the transport and rural infrastructure sectors contribute to the Government of Bangladesh’s development objectives. ADB should remain a strategic long-term partner of Bangladesh and continue to support transport and rural infrastructure projects. The proposed loan is well coordinated with other development partners active in the transport and rural infrastructure sector. Development coordination should continue during project implementation.

1 ADB. 2008. Evaluation of Four Donors’ Assistance in the Bangladesh Transport Sector. Draft Report. Manila. 2 DFID, which led the analytical work for the road maintenance fund, has reportedly decided to pull out of the Bangladesh road transport subsector. 3 ADB. 2009. Bangladesh Country Assistance Program Evaluation. Manila.