NTU has been awarded the ADB-financed TA-9632: Rural Connectivity Improvement Project - Institutional Strengthening of the Bangladesh Rural Road Sector for Sustainable Development

NTU has been awarded the ADB-funded project for Institutional Strengthening of the Bangladesh Rural Road Sector for Sustainable Development, which is scheduled to be implemented over the course of the next calendar year.

The main objective of this 1-year Technical Assistance operation is to provide support to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of Bangladesh by bringing in international expertise to improve sector management performance via the implementation of institutional development initiatives focused on three thematic areas:

• road asset management, including performance-based maintenance;
• road safety;
• climate-resilient design and construction.

The NTU team will work under this TA in close consultation with the Project Management Unit of the Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (RCIP) also funded by the ADB with an accumulated value of USD 200 million, subject to additional financing of USD 100 million, targeting the improvement of the road network connecting the rural population to agriculture value chain development zones, thereby paving the way for more opportunities for the population to engage in agricultural production and agribusiness development activities.

Apart from improving the roads, transport efficiency, and therefore connectivity between rural communities, productive agricultural areas, socioeconomic centers, ultimately generating employment in Bangladesh, through RCIP and its additional financing the ADB will also strengthen maintenance planning and asset management via NTU’s TA. NTU’s work is therefore expected to have significant positive impact on both current and future investments in the sector.