BD, Germany sign grant agreements worth €21.77m

The governments of Bangladesh and Germany on Thursday signed grant agreements worth a total of €21.77 million for five projects proposed by the German development agency GIZ.

The projects are Policy Advisory for Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (PAP) II, Strengthening Urban Integration Capacities of Internally Displaced Persons and Supporting Host Communities (INTEGRATE), Professional Education in Industrial and Environmental Safety (PRECISE), Green Room Air-Conditioning (GRACE) and Digital Skills to Succeed in Asia (DS2S).

The agreements were signed at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) in Dhaka.

ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddique signed the agreements on behalf of the Bangladesh government, while Heinrich-Juergen Schilling, country director of GIZ Office Dhaka, signed on behalf of the German government.

Under the PAP II project, which will be implemented by the Power Division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2029, the German government has allocated a grant of €9 million.

The project aims to improve institutional, economic and human resource conditions to support a socially just and environmentally sustainable energy transition.

The INTEGRATE project will be implemented by the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2027 with a grant of €4.8 million.

The funding will be used to promote the economic empowerment of women, including persons with disabilities, who have been affected and displaced due to climate change-induced natural disasters.

The PRECISE project will be implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education and the Bangladesh Technical Education Board under the Technical and Madrasa Education Division of the Ministry of Education from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2029.

The German government has allocated €7 million in grant assistance for the project to strengthen the capacity of the TVET sector in Bangladesh.

The GRACE project will be implemented through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2028 with a grant of €0.8 million.

The project aims to promote climate-friendly and energy-efficient room air-conditioning systems, known as Green AC, as part of national policy initiatives.

For the DS2S project, the German government has approved an additional grant of €0.175212 million and extended the project period until December 2026.