Dhaka Hosts Landmark Conference on City Management and Growth

A National Conference on Urban Governance and Local Economic Development was held on Thursday, 27 November, at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka, jointly organized by the Local Government Division (LGD), JICA, and the Embassy of Switzerland. The conference brought together senior government officials, development partners, representatives from city corporations and municipalities, private sector stakeholders, policymakers, and experts, all sharing a common goal: strengthening urban management and boosting local economic development.

During the inaugural session, representatives from LGD, JICA, and the Swiss Embassy highlighted the importance of improving city governance, enhancing municipal capacities, and scaling successful models across municipalities and city corporations.

Md. Wahedur Rahman, Joint Secretary of LGD and Project Director of the “PROGREDI” project, elaborated on how municipal capacity-building initiatives are driving local economic development. JICA’s Chief Representative in Bangladesh, Ichiguchi Tomohide, recalled Japan’s long-standing support for strengthening local governance in Bangladesh.

From Switzerland, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation Deepak Elmer expressed commitment to supporting Bangladesh in establishing competitive, stable, and citizen-friendly urban governance.

The opening was officiated by Md. Mahmudul Hasan, Director General of LGD’s Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Inspection Division, who stressed that effective and well-governed municipal systems are increasingly critical for achieving Bangladesh’s economic goals. He emphasized the need for local resource mobilization, improved service delivery, and creating an inclusive growth environment.

He praised the “Strategy for Governance of City Corporations” prepared under the C4C 2 project and highlighted the annual City Governance Assessment methodology developed by C4C as a key milestone. According to him, systematic municipal capacity-building leads to visible economic benefits and governance improvements, and if scaled nationally, it could accelerate local development.

During the subsequent sessions, representatives from Bogra, Shibganj, Bhairab, Jessore, and Kushtia municipalities shared their experiences of revenue enhancement, digitization of services, one-stop service centers, and initiatives to increase women’s economic participation.

Throughout the day, discussions covered budget and financial reporting systems, city governance assessments, performance indicators, public-private partnerships, and practical use of LED tools for local development. The plenary session highlighted future directions for strengthening urban governance, with contributions from BIDA, city corporations, LGD, and development partners.

The closing session outlined next steps for capacity-building in municipalities and city corporations, planning and budget improvements, and strategies for expanding local economic development nationwide. LGD, JICA, and Switzerland reaffirmed their commitment to working together to build skilled, sustainable, and inclusive urban governance in Bangladesh.