The Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday awarded its three best performing project teams in Bangladesh in recognition of their effective scheme implementation, results delivery and transparency in procurement for 2011.

The winning project teams are Second Urban Governance and Infrastructure Improvement Project, executed by Local Government Engineering Department (LGED); Teaching Quality Improvement in Secondary Education Project, executed by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education; and Jamuna Meghna River Erosion Mitigation Project, executed by Bangladesh Water Development Board.

The best project recognition programme, initiated in 2001, is part of an ongoing effort by ADB to continuously improve the development effectiveness of the projects that the Manila-based lender finances in the country.

ADB's Country Director Thevakumar Kandiah handed over the prizes to the winning project teams at a ceremony at its office in Dhaka.

"The awards were given recognising the project teams' excellence in efficiency, results delivery, transparency in procurement, effective project implementation, and efforts to empower women, and other criteria," said Kandiah.

The Second Urban Governance and Infrastructure Improvement Project, which ADB is supporting with $87 million in concessional loans, is helping selected municipalities to enhance accountability, strengthen capabilities, and develop and expand physical infrastructure and urban services to increase economic opportunities.

The Teaching Quality Improvement in Secondary Education Project, which received around $69 million in concessional loans from the bank, is helping the government reform and modernise the secondary education teacher training system in Bangladesh.

The Jamuna Meghna River Erosion Mitigation Project, with $42.2 million in ADB soft loans, helped sustain and enhance the incomes and poverty reduction of around 2.5 million people through reliable, cost-effective and sustainable riverbank erosion mitigation measures to adapt to the morphological processes of the Jamuna and the Meghna rivers.

As one of the major development partners of Bangladesh, ADB is currently supporting a wide range of development programmes under 55 government projects worth around $5.6 billion.

Source: The Daily Star/ Bangladesh/ 9th Dec 2011