The proposed budget risks falling short of its ambitions unless persistent weaknesses in governance, implementation capacity and institutional discipline are addressed, economists and policy experts said at a Dhaka dialogue on Saturday.
At a discussion titled “PPRC Budget Analysis” under the Ajker Agenda series organised by the Power and Participation Research Centre and moderated by its Executive Chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman, speakers said fiscal targets and sectoral priorities would remain difficult to achieve without deeper institutional reform and stronger execution discipline.
Rahman warned that corruption, project delays and administrative inefficiencies continue to undermine policy execution across sectors, describing these as “persistent structural constraints” to delivery.
Former National Board of Revenue chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid said revenue mobilisation would remain constrained without stronger economic activity, greater transparency and faster reforms within tax administration, noting that “revenue ultimately comes from a functioning economy.”
Support for productive sectors and private enterprises would naturally improve collection, he said, stressing the need to boost investments.
Former Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Md Fazlul Haque said budget assumptions appeared to hinge on a faster-than-realistic recovery, warning that investment outcomes depend on banking stability, uninterrupted energy supply and improved law and order.
The budget appears to assume a quick recovery, but achieving results will require “an environment where businesses can invest and expand with confidence.”
Former Bangladesh Agricultural University vice-chancellor MA Sattar Mandal said the budget’s continued emphasis on agriculture lacked structural transformation, citing repeated implementation failures in beneficiary targeting and delivery mechanisms.
“Agriculture requires a comprehensive long-term strategy,” he said, calling for modernisation, technological adaptation and a transition toward smart agriculture.
ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir said higher allocations for gender programmes would not deliver results without stronger execution capacity and wider access to skills, care infrastructure and labour market participation for women.
She said budget allocations must translate into opportunity, stressing “access to skills, new sectors and support systems” that enable meaningful economic participation.
Dhaka University Social Sciences Faculty Dean Mohammad Mainul Islam said increased health spending would have limited impact without efficient utilisation, stressing that population health and family planning require sustained attention amid emerging demographic pressures.
“Health spending is important but utilisation remains critical,” he added.
Former Malala Fund country representative Musharraf Tansen said education outcomes, rather than spending levels, should define success, citing persistent literacy and numeracy gaps linked to weak implementation and teachers’ capacity.
The challenge is not the size of the budget but how it is used, he said, warning that without stronger teaching quality and implementation, higher allocations would not improve learning outcomes.
Closing the discussion, Hossain Zillur Rahman said budget success depends on execution rather than ambition, calling for stronger institutions, accountability and evidence-based policymaking.
He proposed a structured three-month monitoring framework to strengthen execution and warned that persistent regional inequality, weak primary healthcare delivery and systemic education challenges cannot be resolved through technology alone.
Corruption, implementation delays and failures, and waste from unnecessary institutional expansion remained three structural constraints undermining development outcomes, according to the economist.
