European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank of the European Union and the largest multilateral lender in the world, will provide €250 million to Bangladesh to support procurement of safe and effective vaccines and country-wide immunisation against Covid-19.

Vaccination efforts will also include Rohingya refugees from Myanmar currently hosted in Bangladesh.

The financing will help Bangladesh mitigate the health effects of the coronavirus pandemic and enable the country to strengthen its healthcare system and protect its people from Covid-19 with effective vaccines, said the European Embassy in Dhaka today. 

These are all key preconditions for continued sustainable economic and social growth.

This is the first operation allocated under the €425 million South Asia Public Healthcare Covid-19 programme approved by the EIB in 2021. 

This programme aims to provide long-term support for Covid-19 vaccination, pandemic preparedness and health system resilience in Bangladesh, the Maldives and potentially other countries in South Asia. 

EIB Vice-President Christian Kettel Thomsen, who is responsible for operations in South Asia, said the EIB is very proud to expand Team Europe support for Bangladesh, ensuring its people are protected from coronavirus with effective vaccines. 

Bangladesh Ambassador to the European Union Mahbub Hassan Saleh said the EIB's loan of €250 million to the government of Bangladesh for procuring Covid-19 vaccines is the biggest and most significant development in the 22-year long journey of the Bangladesh-EIB partnership. 

EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, said the substantial support from the EIB that is being confirmed today marks a very welcome addition to the Team Europe partnership with Bangladesh to fight the pandemic. 

The operation is covered by the EU EFSD+ Comprehensive Guarantee and its Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI).

In January, Covax delivered the 1 billionth Covid-19 vaccine dose, following distribution of the life-saving vaccines to some 144 countries.