Bangladesh seeks $500m budgetary support from Japan
Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Professor Muhammad Yunus, departed Dhaka today for a four-day official visit to Japan, aiming to secure financial support and expand bilateral cooperation.
During the visit, Bangladesh is expected to receive $500 million in budgetary assistance and $250 million for railway development from Japan. The two sides may also finalise additional agreements across the energy, infrastructure, and human resource sectors.
The Daily Star reports that the Chief Advisor will attend the 30th Nikkei Forum Future of Asia on May 29 and hold a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on May 30. The visit will also see the signing of seven (7) memoranda of understanding covering human resource development, worker recruitment, infrastructure, railways, and energy cooperation.
Bangladesh is, however, seeking to send 100,000 trained workers to Japan, with an emphasis on language and skills training.
Yunus is also scheduled to meet key Japanese figures, including Taro Aso, president of the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League; Yohei Sasakawa of the Nippon Foundation; JICA president Dr. Tanaka Akihiko; and JETRO president Kimura Fukunari.
He will take part in three seminars on labour, trade, and investment and deliver a keynote speech at the Nikkei Forum focusing on Asia’s response to global instability. Soka University will award him an honorary doctorate, and he will address the university community.
Discussions with JICA will cover future cooperation and the status of ongoing Japanese-funded projects in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has requested a total of $1 billion in budget support, with an announcement likely during bilateral talks.
