Aid disbursement declines

IT is with some consternation that we witness the steady decline of foreign aid disbursement in the country. As things stand now, the targeted disbursement of foreign aid of US$3.37 billion may not be met in all probability since less than 50 per cent has been utilised in the first seven months of the current fiscal. Though the authorities blame political volatility of the last quarter of 2013 for low utilisation, the fact that aid disbursement is not up to satisfactory levels despite relative political calm over the past two months or so begs the question whether implementation efficiency is at issue here.
Importantly, any revision downwards in foreign aid monies will negatively impact bilateral development programmes. With this level of efficiency in implementation, it is hardly surprising that foreign aid commitments have actually plunged by more than 40 per cent over the same period to $1.29 billion less than that of the corresponding period of last fiscal.
With foreign development partners seemingly less willing to commit aid, Bangladesh stands at risk in terms of its image as a reliable partner. Major development projects need the involvement of foreign bilateral and multilateral partners and we certainly need to make contingency planning for unforeseen turmoil that has become a near permanent fixture in our political landscape. A failure to do something about disappointing implementation will do little to uplift our image among the donor countries.