Bangladesh’s Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, has expressed optimism that cooperation between Bangladesh and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will continue to deepen, highlighting the agency’s longstanding contribution to the country’s development.
The remarks came during a courtesy meeting with JICA President Dr. Akihiko Tanaka at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Sunday.
According to an official statement, the two sides discussed ongoing and future development initiatives, with particular focus on waste management, water resource management, strengthening local government institutions and promoting sustainable urban development.
The minister said JICA remains one of Bangladesh’s key development partners, playing an important role in infrastructure development, local governance, safe water supply and public service delivery. He expressed hope that bilateral cooperation would expand further in the years ahead.
He also said the government is working to modernize and improve the effectiveness of local government institutions through close collaboration with international development partners. In this regard, he noted that JICA’s technical expertise, experience and investment would continue to support Bangladesh’s long-term sustainable development goals.
During the meeting, the minister also said Bangladesh is advancing its development agenda under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, adding that the government is committed to accelerating the implementation of development projects across the country.
Senior officials from the Local Government Division, including Secretary Md. Shahidul Hasan, Director General of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Inspection Wing Md. Mahmudul Hasan, along with other ministry officials, were present at the meeting.
Officials said the meeting is expected to further strengthen the long-standing development partnership between Bangladesh and JICA while creating opportunities for expanded cooperation in local governance and other priority sectors.
