DHAKA, Aug 27, 2026 (BSS) - The governments of Bangladesh and Germany today signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to support projects on mangrove and marine resource protection and energy efficiency.

The MoUs were signed at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) in the city to implement the projects titled "Better Protection of Mangroves, Swamp Forests and Marine Areas (CONNECT)" and "Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Development (EE4Dev)", said a press release.

Under the agreements, Germany will provide a total grant of EUR 12 million for the two projects.

On behalf of Bangladesh, ERD Additional Secretary and Europe Wing Chief Dr Roksana Tarannum signed the MoUs, while GIZ Office Dhaka Country Director Mark Gombert signed on behalf of the German government.

The CONNECT project will receive a EUR 5 million grant, equivalent to around Tk 71.52 crore. 

It will be jointly implemented by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Forest Department under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The project aims to strengthen the protection, restoration and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources by selected coastal communities in Bangladesh.

The EE4Dev project will receive a EUR 7 million grant, equivalent to around Tk 100.12 crore. 

It will be implemented by the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) under the Power Division and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) under the Ministry of Industries.

The project seeks to improve energy efficiency and reduce electricity consumption from the national grid in industrial facilities and residential buildings through the participation of public and private-sector stakeholders.

Germany has been a long-standing development partner of Bangladesh since 1972. To date, the German government has committed around EUR 4 billion in financial and technical assistance to Bangladesh.

Currently, 19 projects are being implemented in Bangladesh with grant support of EUR 109.62 million from the German development agency GIZ.