Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have finalized a significant $202.25 million grant agreement aimed at bolstering governance, social and economic opportunities, and resilience in the country. The agreement, known as the 6th amendment to ‘The Development Objective Grant Agreement’ (DOAG), was signed on Sunday at the state guest house Padma.
A. K. M Shahabuddin, Additional Secretary of the Economic Relations Division within the Ministry of Finance, and Reed J. Aeschliman, USAID Mission Director, represented Bangladesh and USAID, respectively, in the signing ceremony.
This latest amendment builds upon a DOAG signed on September 27, 2021, covering the period from 2021 to 2026. Under this agreement, USAID has pledged a total commitment of $954 million. With the new grant, USAID will focus on enhancing three key areas: Good Governance, Social, Human and Economic Opportunity, and Resilience.
To date, USAID has already provided $425 million through the first five amendments. The new funding continues the United States’ longstanding partnership with Bangladesh, which began in 1972. Since the signing of the “Economic Technical & Related Assistance” agreement in 1974, the U.S. has contributed over $8 billion to various sectors including democracy and governance, food security, health, education, and climate change.
This extensive support is primarily channeled through USAID, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other governmental and non-governmental organizations.