PPP authority consults on draft guideline

The Public-Private Partnership Authority yesterday gathered officials, development partners and private operators in its Agargaon training room to review a draft guideline intended to jump-start smaller community-focused PPP schemes.

Opening the workshop, PPP Authority Secretary and CEO Muhammad Rafiqul Islam said Bangladesh has proven it can deliver large infrastructure through the PPP model, yet “a vast, unmet space” remains for modest projects that directly improve daily life.

He added that residents are willing to pay reasonable user fees when services are reliable, according to a press release.

Director General A K M Abul Kalam Azad chaired the session. Shahidul Islam, Sector Leader – Water at Netherlands development agency SNV Bangladesh, joined as a special guest, outlining how experimental partnerships have extended basic services in rural areas.

Rafiqul Islam identified the protracted transaction-advisory process as the main drag on new deals and urged participants to find ways to shorten it without cutting safeguards. Streamlining, he argued, would speed delivery and prove the viability of the small-scale model.

The CEO closed by calling for closer coordination across ministries, local authorities and donors to keep services operating smoothly after construction, saying structured public-private collaboration “is the surest route to long-term service quality.