Germany to provide €21.77 million for five development projects

Bangladesh and Germany today (8 January) inked grant agreements worth a total of €21.77 million to implement five development projects aimed at supporting energy transition, climate resilience, skills development, social inclusion, and green technology adoption.

Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) and Heinrich-Juergen Schilling, Country Director of GIZ Bangladesh, signed the agreements on behalf of the countries at ERD Conference Room of the capital.  

An amount of €9 million has been allocated to strengthen institutional, economic, and human resource capacities to support a socially just and environmentally sustainable energy transition in Bangladesh.

Besides, the Advisory for Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (PAP) II project, to be implemented by the Power Division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources till July in 2029, will share the amount, according to a media release. 

Germany has allocated €4.80 million for the INTEGRATE project, which will be implemented by the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare from October 2023 to September 2027. The project focuses on economic empowerment of women, including persons with disabilities, who have been affected and displaced by climate change–induced natural disasters.

Another €7 million grant will support the Professional Education in Industrial and Environmental Safety (PRECISE) project. The initiative will be implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education and the Bangladesh Technical Education Board under the Ministry of Education from July 2025 to June 2029 to strengthen Bangladesh's technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector.

Germany has also committed €0.8 million for the Green Room Air-Conditioning (GRACE) project, to be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change from August 2025 to July 2028. As part of a global initiative, the project seeks to promote climate-friendly and energy-efficient room air-conditioning solutions in line with national policies.

Moreover, an amount of €0.175 million grant has been approved under the Digital Skills to Succeed in Asia (DS2S) project, along with an extension of the project period until December 2026. The regional project, implemented by the Secondary and Higher Education Division, aims to enhance employment opportunities in Asia's growing labour market through ethics-based technological skills. The original phase of the project received €0.382 million and ran from January 2023 to December 2025.

Germany has been a long-standing development partner of Bangladesh since 1972, with total financial and technical assistance amounting to around €4 billion. Currently, GIZ is providing €100.72 million in grant assistance for 18 ongoing projects in Bangladesh, officials said.