In a meeting with World Bank Managing Director Anna Bjerde at the Sangsad Bhaban office on Sunday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for dedicated funding from the World Bank to empower women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, aiming to enhance their socioeconomic status. She stressed the importance of additional concessional loans for climate change mitigation and adaptation projects. The Prime Minister’s commitment to financial inclusion and entrepreneurship among women was emphasized during the briefing, where she highlighted the significant contributions of women in various sectors. Sheikh Hasina urged the World Bank to establish a special fund for Bangladeshi women to accelerate their entrepreneurial ventures and socioeconomic progress, stating that this initiative would pave the way for new entrepreneurs.
She further underscored the government’s efforts in marketing products created by women entrepreneurs and integrating climate change and resilience considerations into development projects for sustainable growth. Sheikh Hasina emphasized Bangladesh’s position at the forefront of sustainable development and requested the World Bank to provide more concessional loans for climate change and climate resilience projects.
Addressing the issue of gender equality, the Prime Minister mentioned that her government gives the highest priority to women’s empowerment, with equal opportunities created for all. She highlighted women’s participation in various spheres of life, including the armed forces and agriculture, attributing this achievement to a change in mindset during the tenure of the Awami League government. Sheikh Hasina also noted the 30 percent quota ensured for women in local government elections.
Regarding the impact of the war in Ukraine on Bangladesh, the Prime Minister acknowledged a spike in inflation and shared that the central bank has introduced a plan to implement a crawling peg system for the taka to regulate abrupt fluctuations in its value.
World Bank Managing Director Anna Bjerde commended Bangladesh’s efforts in economic reforms and pledged continued assistance in advancing these reforms. She appreciated Bangladesh’s commitment to reforms and emphasized that the timely implementation of World Bank-funded projects would lead to the disbursement of funding for new projects.
The meeting was attended by PM’s Advisor Salman Fazlur Rahman, Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah, and Economic Relations Division Secretary Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky.
