According to a senior official from Bangladesh’s NGO matters commission, USAID provided$ 29 million to support a contentious social landscape project in Bangladesh without distributing the money through formal government programs.
The Foreign Donations ( Voluntary Activities ) Regulation Ordinance of 1978 has the authority to regulate NGOs that receive foreign aid.
Md Anwar Hossain, director general ( In charge ) of the NGO affairs bureau, stated in an interview with ANI,” We have not identified the$ 29 million mentioned by Donald Trump through our bureau. If the Organizations involved were named, we had show, but so far, the money don’t reveal in our information”. When asked if USAID bypassed the ministry, Hossain declined to comment.
Hossain noted that while the USAID cash suspension has a small impact on Bangladesh’s NGO sector, it may have a long-term impact on funding.
” Our Charities receive assistance from various locations. NGOs will probably look for alternative donors to make up for the USAID shortfall, he said, despite global events like Covid-19 and natural disasters briefly shifting foreign donations.
Bangladeshi visitors 2, 640 registered Organizations, creating several jobs in the country. Despite the money disagreement, Hossain confirmed that USAID’s assistance for Rohingya-related tasks remains intact, benefiting roughly 70 NGOs in Bangladesh.
The controversy comes in response to comments made by US President Donald Trump, who criticized USAID for allegedly funneling$ 29 million to a well-known company as part of a social initiative in Bangladesh. Speaking at the White House, Trump said,” Can you imagine a small company with two persons receiving$ 29 million? They’ll probably be on the support of a business journal soon—for being excellent cybercriminals”.
According to the US State Department, the US has spent more than$ 8 billion on Bangladeshi improvements over the past 50 years.
