Bangladesh has sought assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to address the economic challenges arising from the ongoing war situation, particularly in the energy sector.
The IMF has expressed its willingness to stand by Bangladesh.
IMF’s Director for Asia and the Pacific Department, Krishna Srinivasan, met with Prime Minister Tareq Rahman at the Secretariat. Various related issues were discussed during the meeting, according to sources.
A review meeting regarding the release of the sixth and seventh tranches of IMF funding will be held in Washington in April, where overall matters will be discussed.
Later, the IMF delegation met with Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.
After the meeting, the Finance Minister told journalists that discussions were held on implementing the economic reforms outlined in the BNP’s election manifesto. He added that talks also focused on cooperation to address the economic challenges, including those in the energy sector, caused by the ongoing war.
The Finance Minister urged the public to remain cautious and restrained in facing the ongoing energy crisis and broader economic challenges. He stated that due to effective economic management, there was no disruption during Eid travel, transport fares did not increase, and no fuel shortages affected transportation. He also noted that commodity prices remained stable during Ramadan.
The minister further said that initiatives are being taken to resume development projects that had stalled during the interim government period. He added that the current administration inherited the economy in a weakened state and discussions were held on ways to overcome the ongoing crisis.