Govt action plans
WE are heartened to learn of the government's plans, in light of the agreement reached between the government and the development partners at the recently concluded Bangladesh Development Forum, to move ahead with 26 action plans aimed at improving governance and making more effective use of donor assistance.
For too long there has been a mismatch between the amount of money the development partners have pledged every year as assistance and the government's capacity to utilise the funds in an expedient and efficient manner.
In truth, the problem has always been lack of proper planning and commitment to make the government apparatus operate more smoothly, and this is why the 26 action plans set forth by the government are so crucial and how they represent a bold new direction for the government.
Almost as important as the action plans, the government has also unveiled an initiative to work closely with the development partners to draw up a joint cooperation strategy. Again, such an initiative is long overdue and extremely welcome. Closer coordination with the development partners is indispensable for ensuring the quick and effective use of foreign assistance.
These moves to make government more effective and to enhance efficiency are to be applauded. We are glad to see the government taking such mature and practical steps in order to ensure sounder governance and as smooth cooperation as possible with the development partners.
The government's plans will not only ensure more effective use of foreign assistance, as intended, but will also help to ensure that all government services are delivered in a more efficient manner and that all government revenue is more better and more quickly utilised.
We also approve the focus on accountability and transparency that has been laid out, and are gratified to note that the initiative envisages a situation whereby both the government and the development partners can hold one another more accountable.
This kind of partnership and cooperation is long overdue, and we hope that we will now see a real improvement in the government's ability to absorb donor assistance, and we expect that this will have positive ripple effects throughout the government machinery as well as the development partners' response mechanisms.
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