Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday sought budgetary support from Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
The minister made the plea when Jica President Tanaka Akihiko paid a courtesy call on him at his office at the secretariat in Dhaka.
“I believe that Jica, considering the global uncertainty in the future, will increase further funding to implement our important projects, including the necessary budgetary support,” Kamal said.
He also mentioned that the budget support provided by Japan to Bangladesh at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic was the first of its kind in the history of both Bangladesh and Japan.
“It [budgetary support] has helped us mitigate the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and deal with the Russia-Ukraine crisis,” said the minister.
Japan has become the single largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh, Kamal said.
The Jica president said Bangladesh was an important country to Jica with regard to cooperation.
Bangladesh is now far ahead of different neighbouring countries in various economic and social indicators, Akihiko said while appreciating the country’s economic progress.
Due to the successful cooperation engagements, Bangladesh is currently one of the countries on the list of Japan’s official development cooperation, the Jica president added.
Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki and Jica’s Resident Representative Yuho Hayakawa, Secretary to Economic Relations Division Sharifa Khan and other officials of the Jica and the finance ministry joined the meeting.