Germany will provide €12 million in grants to Bangladesh for two projects aimed at protecting coastal and marine resources and improving energy efficiency in industrial and residential facilities.
Two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to this effect were signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Germany in Dhaka on Thursday, according to a release.
The projects are titled “Better Protection of Mangroves, Swamp Forests and Marine Areas (CONNECT)” and “Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Development (EE4Dev).”
Dr Roksana Tarannum, additional secretary and wing chief of the Europe Wing at the Economic Relations Division (ERD), signed the MoUs on behalf of Bangladesh, while Mark Gombert, country director of the GIZ Office in Dhaka, signed on behalf of Germany.
Under the CONNECT project, Germany will provide a €5 million grant, equivalent to about Tk 71.52 crore. The project will be jointly implemented by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Forest Department under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The project aims to strengthen the protection, restoration and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources by selected coastal communities in Bangladesh.
The EE4Dev project will receive a €7 million grant, equivalent to about Tk 100.12 crore. It will be implemented by the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) under the Power Division and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) under the Ministry of Industries.
The project seeks to improve energy efficiency and reduce grid electricity consumption in industrial facilities and residential buildings through the participation of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
Germany has been a development partner of Bangladesh since 1972 and has so far committed about €4 billion in financial and technical assistance to the country.
Currently, 19 projects are being implemented in Bangladesh with grant support of €109.62 million from Germany’s development agency GIZ.