BMDF, Water.org hold workshop to boost municipal water and sanitation finance

The Bangladesh Municipal Development Fund (BMDF), supported by Water.org, an international non-profit organisation, hosted a high-level workshop today to advance investment solutions for municipal water and sanitation infrastructure. 

The workshop was graced by Chief Guest Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy for International Affairs. He was joined by distinguished guests Mahmudul Hasan, Additional Secretary of LGRD; Helal Uddin, Joint Secretary, FID, Ministry of Finance; and Md. Amir Uddin, Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank. 

Md. Khalilur Rahman, Managing Director of BMDF, delivered opening remarks. Sajid Amit, Executive Director, South Asia, Water.org, delivered a speech emphasising the partnership's importance and the multifarious ways in which investing in SDG6 unlocks impact across other SDGs and the multiplicative effect of innovative financing. 

In his keynote address, Chief Guest Lutfey Siddiqi highlighted the need for a people-centric approach, noting, “While I believe partnerships of this nature can bring in investments and development, we must also consider the human impact it can bring.”

In an investor-style pitch session, three municipalities, including Chandpur, Kushtia, and Lalmonirhat, presented their water projects to a review panel composed of investors and infrastructure experts from organisations like the World Bank, UNCDF, and commercial banks, including City Bank PLC.

The panel provided candid and constructive feedback on what investors require for financing and how the municipalities can strengthen their project proposals to make them more credible and investment-ready.

The pitch session set the stage for a dynamic panel discussion on actionable financing strategies, moderated by Muntasir Tahmeed Chowdhury, Managing Director, Inspira Advisory & Consulting Limited. The panel featured experts from DFIs, including the World Bank; international organizations like Swisscontact; commercial banks; and the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS).