Bangladesh was deeply shocked when, on August 15 last year, a tragic structural (and avoidable) twist of fate killed five people, plus two children, at the site of the bus rapid transit (BRT) assignment on the capital’s busy airport road. A low-capacity crane, with an undertrained operator on wheels, overturned a segment of the viaduct and the huge concrete block fell onto a passenger vehicle. A commission of inquiry temporarily singled out the contractor, its unlicensed crane operator and the mission’s protection. But what led to this unfortunate incident? Who was to blame for making sure that only devices with sufficient capacity would be deployed?That the operators were licensed, certified, trained, and experienced?By the way, why has this task dragged on for 11 years, when the initial plan only called for four?And why has their load more than doubled?
Bangladesh has rightly earned the respect of the entire world for the successful implementation of the Padma Bridge. But at the same time, many projects suffer from chronic delays and rising costs, jeopardizing their odyssey to evolved country status.
The Daily Star reported on Oct. 3 that 13 rail assignments are facing cost overruns of up to 260%, taking up to 9. 5 years longer than originally planned. On 13 July, the newspaper noted that the modern allocation of food garage facilities, introduced in 2014 to build 8 silos, had only seen 50% progress. Silos don’t exist yet, although the cost has risen to 86%. Last year, a parliamentary committee expressed deep resentment over repeated extensions of deadlines and emerging prices on almost all local government allocations. The World Bank’s Bangladesh Partnership Framework for fiscal years 2023 to 2027 highlighted chronic delays in allocation implementation, a complex maze of allocation approval processes, and a general lack of capacity in similar disciplines. Between 2016 and 2021, the average implementation of Era assignments in Bangladesh was more than seven years, a frightening functionality by any standard.
For a country that is gradually moving toward middle-income prestige and aspires to be an evolved country by 2041, all of this presents a serious threat of falling into what economists call the middle-income trap. Many countries that have fallen into this trap found themselves in a bind and have failed to move from a resource-driven expansion with cheap labour to an expansion driven by production with higher aggregate prices. To avoid such a situation, Bangladesh wants to move up the global price chain (GVC) by improving its ability to perform tasks.
Bangladesh has already achieved a miracle of progression by going from a “basket case” to one of the world’s fastest-developing economies in the five decades since independence. Its economy has developed steadily, achieving an average annual GDP expansion of 6. 4% between 2016 and 2021. . With a consistent GDP capita of around $2,800 in 2022, Bangladesh is on track to become a middle-income country (with a GDP consistent with a population of at least $4,000) by 2031. Demonstrating its resilience, the country has coped well with natural disasters, such as primary floods (in 1988, 1998, 2004 and 2007), typhoon waves (Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009), and absorbed global shocks such as the global currency crisis of 2007-2009 and the Covid pandemic. -19 in 2020, according to a report by Boston Consulting Group.
But, according to a report by the Centre for Policy Dialogue, unless Bangladesh moves from a low-cost labour-based economy to one with superior technical and managerial skills, there is a genuine threat of falling into the middle-income trap. As it moves after the transition to middle-income status, Bangladesh wants to move to technology- and productivity-driven competitiveness. To this end, greater control of deployment allocations and capabilities would be essential.
This means that the country will have to offer smart enough learning and education opportunities for young professionals, especially in engineering. Bangladesh has no shortage of professionals and academics. However, their experience, knowledge, and wisdom are not being used for the good of the people. Long-term assignment managers. Currently, most universities in Bangladesh teach assignment control from a theoretical perspective. In fact, few manuals or reference documents concentrate on the practical facets of assignment control and its implementation in the local context. The books available, written by practitioners or researchers from other countries, do not address the problems characteristic of the scenario in Bangladesh, so they seem theoretical to local students.
Bangladesh wants to fill this critical gap if it wants to have task managers who can deliver tasks well and efficiently, without time and cost overruns. Those who read task control don’t have to suffer from a lack of resource structures that provide insight into real-life scenarios. , a review of the other thematic areas and complexities of the allocation implementation cycle in Bangladesh.
All projects will need to be implemented with a precision similar to that of the Padma Bridge or better. This project, while a source of pride, has also faced delays and cost overruns. Fortunately, they were professionally monitored and following criteria and procedures identified around the world. There is no explanation as to why Bangladesh cannot do the same for all primary government projects.
The perspectives expressed in this article are those of the author.
Follow The Daily Star Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions, observations, and research from experts and practitioners. To contribute your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, please see our submission guidelines.