$29m deal with WB to create jobs for women
The government yesterday signed a $29 million Northern Areas Reduction of Poverty Initiative (Nari) project with the World Bank aiming to create jobs for women.
World Bank Country Director in Bangladesh Ellen Goldstein and Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Iqbal Mahmood signed the agreement on their respective sides at the ERD conference room.
The project would support employment and successful migration of around 11,000 poor and vulnerable women from the Monga-prone districts namely Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, and Rangpur in garments sector, a press release said.
“The Nari project is the first World Bank-financed operation in South Asia with a specific focus on the empowerment of vulnerable women through employment in a formal sector,” said Goldstein.
“It has the potential of fundamentally changing the lives of thousands of poor rural women, and possibly many more once the pilot is scaled up to other parts of Bangladesh and other sectors, if successful,” she added.
ERD Secretary Mahmood said, “The project directly contributes to the government's pro-poor growth vision. It would support linking the lagged-behind northern region to country's growth poles in eastern region along with enhancing women's participation in work force.”
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