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Bangladesh signs $404m WB deal to boost health sector
Bangladesh today signed a US$404 million financing agreement with the World Bank to strengthen the country's health, nutrition and population sector through two major projects aimed at improving healthcare services and building climate resilience.
The financing package, signed under the Health, Nutrition and Population Sector Development Program (HNPSDP), includes a concessional loan of SDR 284.70 million (equivalent to US$379 million) from the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) and a US$25 million grant from the Global Financing Facility (GFF).
Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky signed the loan and grant agreements on behalf of the Bangladesh government, while Jean Pesme, Division Director of the World Bank Office in Dhaka, signed on behalf of the lender at a ceremony held at the ERD office in the capital.
The financing will support two projects under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare between July 2025 and June 2029.
The first project, titled "Health and Nutrition Services Improvement and System Strengthening Project," will be implemented by the Directorate General of Health Services. It aims to enhance the capacity and resilience of the health system while improving the quality, accessibility and effectiveness of health and nutrition services nationwide, with a particular focus on the Chattogram and Sylhet divisions.
The second project, "Climate Responsive Reproductive Health and Population Services Improvement and System Strengthening Project for Results," will be implemented by the Directorate General of Family Planning. The initiative seeks to improve the quality, efficiency and equity of reproductive health and population services through stronger climate-resilient systems and institutional capacity.
Under the agreement, the IDA loan will be repaid over 30 years, including a five-year grace period. The loan carries a 0.75 percent annual service charge on withdrawn funds and a 1.25 percent annual interest rate. A 0.50 percent commitment fee applies to undisbursed balances, although World Bank officials noted that the fee has not been collected in recent years, including the current fiscal year.
Officials said the financing will help Bangladesh strengthen healthcare delivery, improve nutrition outcomes, expand reproductive health services and enhance the sector's resilience to climate-related challenges.