Establishment of business-to-business co-operations is supported with training, technical assistance and finance for the companies to conduct initial visits and subsequent feasibility studies. A start-up facility is also available to the partners to prepare their co-operation and for initial technology transfer. Further support can also be received by long-term collaborations under the Partnership project facility.

Within the last 4 years of operation the PSD Programme has committed grants of DKK 58 million (including project preparation activities) to Bangladesh resulting in 22 commercial partnerships within the following areas of business, which are at various stages of implementation:

PSD Programme is currently working on establishing projects within the following areas of business, wherein the partners are conducting project preparatory activities:

For more information visit: www.psdbangladesh.com

Development Benefits to Bangladesh as a result of the Danida PSD Programme

The non-quantifiable Development Results that the Bangladeshi Partners have indicated can be summarised as follows.

1. Access to New Markets:

After the complete implementation of the approved PSD Projects ( 12) , the private sector in Bangladesh is expected to gain access to new markets in USA, Canada, Europe, Far East and South Asia. In fact some of the projects have already achieved this result.

2. Exemplary Effect:

The environmental (external and working) improvements in the textile projects are expected to provide the right kind of examples for foreign agencies and buyers to exert the pressure on the rest of the Readymade Garment industry in Bangladesh to conform to at least the national standards to start with.

3. Demonstration Effect:

The Vestergaards Bogtrykkeri Project aimed at outsourcing to Bangladesh, prepress production activities such as Graphics Design and Layout (tending to be economically unviable in the western world) is expected to build confidence both in Bangladesh and the western world that a poor country like Bangladesh, given the appropriate training & technical assistance will be able to enter the multi-billion Dollar industry of Information Technology (IT) Enabled services, which in the next decade is expected to create a large number of well paid white collar jobs in the Developing World. This is already reinforced, by the outsourcing projects commenced by CADPeople and Marticco.

The Cappuccino cooperation through the PSD Project is working towards installing the confidence in the Bangladeshi Readymade Garment manufacturers that by learning to establish the flexible production systems (short production runs) they can survive the competition after 2004, (when preferential trade arrangements will be withdrawn) by moving up the value ladder to earn better margins expected to translate into better wages and working conditions for the workers.

4. Spin-off Benefits:

The ENH Engineering Project will benefit the Road Construction Industry of Bangladesh by giving them access to the Bitumen Emulsion technology (which is the only acceptable standard in Scandinavian Countries), to give them the benefit of lower costs, durability and environmental friendliness.

Better and professional Freight Forwarding and Monitoring services offered by the DFDS Transport JV is expected to benefit the Readymade Garments Industry by attracting customers from Europe and North America who have been avoiding the Bangladeshi suppliers as their reputation on handling logistics has been extremely poor.

Access to and training of doctors on the latest Medical Diagnostic technologies brought in by the BK Medical project is expected to have a wide spread influence on the improvement of the quality of healthcare services in Bangladesh.

Industrial Boiler Systems by Hollensen will save energy and reduce pollution by using the exhaust gases produced by Small and Medium sized power generators.