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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will review the projects it is bankrolling in Bangladesh next week as some of them are 'slow-moving' and 'problematic', insiders said on Friday.
The Manila-based lender will mainly supervise the slow-moving projects as their loans were confirmed five to six years ago, according to them.
The ADB, Economic Relations Division (ERD) and project implementers will sit in a tripartite review meeting on September 15 to find out the impediments to project execution.
"We'll sit in a tripartite meeting on September 15. The projects, which are going slowly or facing hurdles, will be tabled for talks," said a senior ERD official.
He said the main purpose of the meeting is to overcome the hurdles to the execution of the projects.
The ADB's ongoing sovereign portfolio in Bangladesh till 2021 was worth $10.5 billion. The portfolio included 64 loans and one grant.
"A few out of the ongoing projects are struggling for execution delays. Implementing agencies have failed to complete in time, resulting in both time and cost overrun," said another ERD official.
The ADB in the last meeting called the government agencies for streamlining the implementation of slow-moving projects or it would divert funds to other schemes, he added.
The last review also prepared an action plan for the ongoing ADB-funded projects which would be discussed at the next week's review meeting, the official said.
The Tk 42.68-billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Dhaka Airport to Gazipur, Tk 36.02-billion Railway Rolling Stock Operations Improvement, SASEC Gazipur-Rangpur four-lane road, and SASEC Chittagong-Cox's Bazar railway are among the slow-moving projects.
Though undertaken back in 2014, the implementers have failed to execute the Dhaka environmentally sustainable water-supply project, SASEC rail connectivity:
Akhaura-Laksam double-track project, Urban governance and infrastructure improvement (sector) project-03, Flood and riverbank erosion risk management investment programme-01, Irrigation management improvement project, and Flood and riverbank erosion risk management investment programme.
ERD officials said it is needed to build a stronger project pipeline and ensure higher project readiness and improved implementation discipline for better portfolio performance to boost the ongoing socio-economic recovery process in the country.
The ERD official said: "The government is emphasising faster and compliant procurement of goods and services to increase contract award and fund disbursement, complimenting government initiatives for creating jobs and increasing public investment."
As of 2021, the ADB has committed a total of 679 public-sector loans, grants and technical assistance, totalling $26.7 billion to Bangladesh, ADB data showed.
Besides, it has disbursed $19.69-billion loans and grants till last year against different projects and programmes.
The ADB in fiscal year 2021-22 disbursed $2.57 billion worth of loans and grants.