Fixing the ADP bottleneck must be prioritised

THE Annual Development Programme (ADP) implementation rate falling to 67.5 per cent in the 2025-26 fiscal year is more than a disappointing statistic; it is a warning about Bangladesh’s weakening capacity to translate development plans into tangible outcomes.

According to the latest data from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), ministries and agencies spent Tk 141,071 crore against a revised allocation of Tk 208,935 crore.

This was the lowest implementation rate in the past five years, declining steadily from 92.74 per cent in FY22 to 68.18 per cent in FY25, reports The New Nation on Friday.

Some of the slowdown is understandable. The interim government undertook a review of ongoing and proposed projects and sought to prioritise those considered necessary.

Such scrutiny is welcome, particularly when public resources are limited and poorly conceived projects can become a source of waste. However, a prolonged decline in implementation cannot simply be justified as prudent prioritisation.

The more worrying issue is the persistence of structural weaknesses.

Poor project readiness, delays in procurement and land acquisition, weak coordination among agencies, repeated cost revisions, design changes and inadequate cash planning have long hampered ADP implementation.

The fact that ministries and divisions were also distracted by election-related activities during the third quarter further exposed the fragility of the development management system.

The sharp disparity among ministries is particularly revealing. While the Health Services Division managed to utilise only 31.15 per cent of its allocation, the Local Government Division, Power Division and Water Resources Division recorded considerably higher rates.

Such differences suggest that the problem is not merely a shortage of money but also one of institutional capacity, planning and accountability.

The government has now approved a Tk 3 lakh crore ADP for FY27-30 per cent higher than the previous year.

Increasing allocations without improving implementation capacity, however, risks turning ambitious budgets into unfulfilled promises.

The priority must therefore be quality over quantity. Projects should be adequately prepared before approval, procurement and land acquisition should begin promptly, and ministries must be held accountable for realistic implementation targets. Stronger monitoring and coordination are equally essential.

Bangladesh does not merely need larger development budgets; it needs the institutional ability to spend them efficiently, transparently and productively.

Otherwise, a bigger ADP will only produce bigger numbers on paper, not better development on the ground.