Business Report :
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Tuesday between WaterAid Bangladesh and National Institute of Local Government (NILG)to strengthen the capacity of local government institutions (LGIs) and Deconcentrated Line Agencies across Bangladesh.
The signing ceremony, held at the NILG in the capital, was attended by senior officials from the Local Government Division (LGD), NILG, and WaterAid Bangladesh.
The partnership aims to enhance the capacity of elected representatives and appointed officials of local government institutions, as well as officials from deconcentrated line agencies, to deliver climate-resilient basic public services in the areas of water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), integrated water resource management (IWRM), and solid waste management (SWM).
Under this five-year MoU, both organisations will jointly develop and institutionalise training modules, conduct research, and organise capacity-building programmes for local government institutions and deconcentrated line agencies.
The collaboration will initially be implemented in Naogaon and Satkhira under the Swiss-supported GO4IMPact programme, jointly implemented by WaterAid Bangladesh-Swisscontact Bangladesh Consortium, in partnership with ESDO and Rupantar, before being scaled up nationwide.
Speaking at the ceremony, Md. Adbul Quaiyum, Director General (Grade-I), NILG,underscored, “This partnership marks a milestone in advancing institutional capacity for effective local governance. Through this collaboration, NILG and WaterAid will work together to strengthen local governance and ensure more effective delivery of basic public services at the local level.”
Azman Ahmed Chowdhury, Country Director (In-Charge), WaterAid Bangladesh, remarked, “Enhancing the capacity of local government institutions and deconcentrated line agencies is central to inclusive and climate-resilient local governance.
Together with NILG, we aim to build a strategic partnership that drives lasting change at the grassroots.”
The signing ceremony, Surayya Akhtar Jahan, Additional Secretary, Local Government Division (LGD), stressed the need to address the capacity constraints of LGI through this partnership, particularly in integrated water and waste management sectors.
Md Shafiqul Islam, Policy Advisor (Former Additional Secretary), WaterAid Bangladesh, in his presentation highlighted the goals, objectives, expectations and next steps of this partnership.
Kaesuzzaman, Director, Training & Consultancy (Joint Secretary), NILG, concluded the event with the commitment of both institutions to support the Government of Bangladesh in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
