Md Shafiqul Islam Akand

Project Significance

The Dhaka Bypass Expressway represents a watershed moment for Bangladesh's infrastructure sector. As the nation's first internationally-structured road PPP with full private financing, this project established the template for subsequent expressway developments and demonstrated that Bangladesh could successfully execute complex concession agreements meeting international standards.

The 48-kilometer four-lane expressway connects Joydebpur (Gazipur) to Madanpur (Narayanganj), effectively creating a bypass around Dhaka's congested core. The route intersects with national highways N1, N2, N3, and N4, reducing travel time from 2 hours to just 30 minutes while unlocking economic development across the northeastern corridor.

Role & Responsibilities

As Chief Operating Officer, I oversee all operational aspects of project delivery within a complex SPV structure combining Chinese state enterprises (Shudao Investment Group 60%, Sichuan Road & Bridge 30%) and local private sector (Shamim Enterprise 10%).

• Contract Administration: Managing the 25-year concession agreement including design approvals, construction supervision, and compliance with performance standards
• Stakeholder Coordination: Serving as primary liaison between government agencies (Roads & Highways Department, PPP Authority), international consortium members, and financing institutions
• Land Acquisition Management: Addressing critical land transfer delays that have extended project timelines; of 312.48 acres required, securing the remaining ~95 acres through engagement with 13+ government departments
• Quality Assurance: Ensuring construction meets specifications for Bangladesh's first fully access-controlled highway, including 12 bridges, 7 flyovers, 27 underpasses, and 8 interchanges
• Financial Oversight: Managing project finances including China Development Bank offshore financing (Tk 1,614 crore), BIFFL onshore lending (Tk 1,075 crore), and viability gap funding (Tk 224 crore)

Technical Specifications

• Route: National Highway N-105, 48 km from Joydebpur to Madanpur via Purbachal, Rupganj, and Bhulta
• Design Standard: Four-lane divided expressway with service roads, Bangladesh's first fully access-controlled alignment
• Major Structures: 12 bridges (including 1.5km Sitalakhya River Bridge), 7 flyovers, 27 underpasses, 8 interchanges
• Funding Model: 94% private equity, 6% viability gap financing, establishing private led precedent
• Operations Model: Electronic toll collection, 25-year DBFOM concession until May 2047

Current Status & Impact

As of late 2025, the project has achieved 68% physical completion with an 18-kilometer section (Bhogra-Purbachal) officially opened to traffic with toll operations in August 2025. The remaining 30 kilometers are targeted for completion by June 2026, though land acquisition challenges continue to affect timelines.

The project's impact extends beyond transportation efficiency. It has catalyzed real estate development in Purbachal New Town, improved connectivity to industrial zones in Gazipur and Narayanganj, and established operational precedents for toll collection, maintenance standards, and concession management that will inform Bangladesh's broader expressway network development.

Program Overview

UGIIP-3 represented the most comprehensive municipal development initiative in Bangladesh's history, covering 56 secondary towns across eight divisions. Co-financed by the Asian Development Bank ($312 million) and OPEC Fund for International Development ($101 million), the program pioneered performance-based infrastructure allocation that fundamentally transformed local government capacity.

The model has been replicated not only within Bangladesh by other development partners including the World Bank and JICA, but also exported to neighboring South Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, establishing Bangladesh as a regional leader in urban local government innovation.

Strategic Approach

As Project Director, I led implementation of a groundbreaking governance framework that linked infrastructure investment to measurable municipal performance across seven governance areas with 28 distinct sub-activities. This incentivized pourashavas (municipalities) to improve service delivery, financial management, and participatory planning before receiving capital grants.

• Performance Assessment: Developed scoring methodology evaluating urban planning, infrastructure maintenance, revenue mobilization, transparency, citizen participation, and environmental management
• Capacity Building: Comprehensive training programs for municipal officials, engineers, and administrators covering financial management, procurement, safeguards, and infrastructure planning
• Infrastructure Delivery: Managed construction of roads, drains, markets, bus terminals, community facilities, and environmental infrastructure across 56 towns with aggregate populations exceeding 5 million
• Stakeholder Management: Coordinated with eight divisional offices, 56 pourashava mayors and councils, multiple national agencies, development partners, and civil society organizations

Key Achievements

• Governance Transformation: Average municipal governance scores improved by 40% over project period, with participating pourashavas demonstrating sustained capacity enhancement
• Infrastructure Scale: Delivered comprehensive infrastructure packages including roads, drainage systems, market facilities, solid waste management, and community infrastructure serving millions of urban residents
• Financial Management: Improved municipal own-source revenue collection by average 35% through enhanced tax administration and service fee implementation
• Model Replication: Performance-based allocation methodology adopted by subsequent World Bank LGSP, JICA projects, and regional initiatives in South Asia
• Safeguards Excellence: Maintained full compliance with ADB environmental and social safeguards across 56 municipalities and hundreds of subprojects

Program Impact

UGIIP-3's greatest legacy extends beyond physical infrastructure. The program institutionalized participatory planning, transparent procurement, and performance-based budgeting within Bangladesh's urban local government system. Participating municipalities demonstrated sustained improvements in service delivery, financial sustainability, and citizen engagement years after program completion.

My role required managing a complex $413 million program across Bangladesh's diverse geographic and political landscape, coordinating multiple development partners with different requirements, and ensuring quality delivery despite capacity constraints in smaller municipalities, experience directly applicable to modern PPP advisory where stakeholder alignment and implementation capacity determine project success.

Program Scope

UGIIP-2 served as the proving ground for performance based municipal development in Bangladesh. Covering 35 secondary towns with multi-lateral financing from the Asian Development Bank, Germany's KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau), and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), the program required navigating different development partner priorities, procurement systems, and reporting requirements, invaluable experience for modern PPP structuring.

Infrastructure Delivered

As Project Director, I managed comprehensive infrastructure development across 35 municipalities with combined populations exceeding 3 million residents. The scale and diversity of interventions required sophisticated project management, quality control systems, and community engagement:

• Roads & Drainage: 1,083.6 km of municipal roads, 130.8 km of drainage systems improving flood resilience and urban mobility
• Public Lighting: 5,353 streetlights enhancing urban safety and commercial activity
• Slum Improvement: 195 slum upgrading interventions providing paved pathways, drainage, water supply, and sanitation to vulnerable communities
• Sanitation Infrastructure: 4,644 community toilets addressing critical public health needs in densely populated areas
• Market Facilities: Construction and rehabilitation of municipal markets, bus terminals, and community centers

Multi-Partner Coordination

The program's complexity stemmed from coordinating three development partners with distinct operational frameworks. ADB's procurement guidelines, KfW's technical standards, and GIZ's capacity-building approach required creating unified implementation systems while maintaining each partner's specific requirements, directly analogous to modern PPP environments where government agencies, private consortiums, and lenders each demand different controls and reporting.

Successfully delivering $187 million across 35 towns with zero major safeguards violations, no significant cost overruns, and sustained infrastructure functionality demonstrates the institutional management capacity that differentiates successful PPP implementation from project failures.

Lessons Applied to PPP Practice

• Stakeholder Alignment: Experience coordinating municipalities, national agencies, and international partners translates directly to PPP environments requiring government, private sector, and lender coordination
• Performance Monitoring: Development of comprehensive M&E frameworks applicable to PPP key performance indicators and contract compliance
• Community Engagement: Participatory planning and grievance mechanisms refined in UGIIP inform modern stakeholder management best practices
• Financial Sustainability: Municipal revenue enhancement strategies provide foundation for PPP user-fee and operational viability analysis