The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday called for greater coordination among development partners to ensure better implementation of co-financed projects.

"Lack of harmonization among development partners delays project implementation," he said while launching a 3-day workshop on procurement reforms at a city hotel.

Bangladesh government, the World Bank, DFID, ADB and AusAid jointly organised the Asia regional workshop titled "Implementing Procurement Reforms and Improving Performance" with eight working sessions.

World Bank country director Xian Zhu and ADB country director Hua Du also spoke at the function.

"Greater harmonization among development partners is essential besides improving our efficiency in implementing projects," said the Finance Adviser.

He said the government was trying to establish a system of governance to ensure accountability and transparency, and to reduce corruption through institutional reforms of the Public Service Commission and separation of the judiciary, and undertaking a process to promulgate Right to Information Ordinance.

He added that the reforms would make the institutions free from political pressure and lobbying in recruitment procedure apart from ensuring transparency and accountability.

"The potential gains from such policy and institutional reforms are enormous but the path to fully implement the reform is not an easy one," World Bank country director Xian Zhu said.

In Bangladesh case, he said, there remain several crosscutting institutional and governance constraints. "Clearly, much more needs to be done to make it sustainable with contributions from public officials and bidding community," he said, assuring of their support to the efforts in implementing the reforms.

ADB country director Hua Du stressed the need for capacity building and improved monitoring of public procurement for full implementation of PPA 2006 in the near future.

Referring to a recent survey in Bangladesh, she noted the progress in the use of country procurement system from 62 percent in 2005 to 77 percent in 2007.

She also assured of ADB's support in the efforts in embarking on complex reforms of the public procurement.