Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Bangladesh Development Programme Slows to 53-Year Low
Bangladesh has a big plan called the Annual Development Programme to build things like schools, roads and other public projects.
The government decides how much of that plan it can finish each year.
This year, it only finished about 67.5% of the plan, which is the smallest amount in 53 years.
The year before was almost the same, with 67.85% completed.
A few years ago, the country did much better, finishing more than 92% of its plan in 2021-22.
Big changes in the country's leadership in August 2024 made things harder.
The country also had less money and fewer foreign funds to spend on projects.
There were delays in buying materials, problems with getting land, and changes to designs.
Experts say Bangladesh needs stronger systems so its building plans can survive difficult times.
Bangladesh implemented only 67.5% of its revised Annual Development Programme (ADP) in FY 2025-26, the lowest rate in 53 years.
The previous fiscal year also ended weak, with 67.85% implementation, according to data from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).
Implementation had been far stronger in prior years: 92.79% in FY2021-22, 84.16% in FY2022-23 and 80.63% in FY2023-24.
The slowdown is attributed to the political transition of August 2024, mounting macroeconomic pressures, foreign exchange shortages and tightening fiscal conditions.
Long procurement delays, unresolved land acquisition, repeated design revisions, weak coordination among agencies and limited project management capacity hampered the system's response.
The article warns that constrained domestic revenue mobilisation, less predictable external financing and shrinking fiscal space raise questions about institutional resilience.
- Who
- Bangladesh's government and its implementing agencies, with data tracked by the country's Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).
- What
- Implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) fell to 67.5% in FY 2025-26, the lowest rate in 53 years.
- When
- Fiscal year 2025-26, compared with previous fiscal years going back to FY2021-22.
- Where
- Bangladesh.
- Why
- The August 2024 political transition, macroeconomic pressures, foreign exchange shortages, tightening fiscal conditions, and systemic weaknesses such as procurement delays and weak coordination.
- ADP implementation FY 2025-26
- 67.5% (lowest in 53 years)
- ADP implementation FY 2024-25
- 67.85%
- ADP implementation FY 2021-22
- 92.79%
- ADP implementation FY 2022-23
- 84.16%
- ADP implementation FY 2023-24
- 80.63%
- Data source
- Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED)
- Report source
- The Daily Star (Dhaka)
- Key causes cited
- August 2024 political transition, forex shortages, fiscal constraints, procurement delays, land acquisition issues