The Bangladesh rural electrification program is the most successful program in South Asia and one of the most successful in the world.  The program, which was designed by NRECA and based on the successful institutional model employed in the US, was formally initiated in 1977 with the creation of the Rural Electrification Board (REB), and several electric cooperative pilot projects. 

From that humble beginning, the Bangladesh rural electrification program has established 70 electric distribution cooperative societies that deliver power to over 45 million people. 
The electric cooperatives that have been financed and supported by REB have had a tremendous impact on rural economic development and poverty reduction, including income gains, employment generation, and significant improvements in health and literacy. 

Since the program’s inception, NRECA has served as the primary technical advisor to the rural electrification program, and continues to provide technical assistance to the REB through funding from USAID and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the U.K.  The scope of these projects includes training to improve project selection and system construction, and ensuring procurement of quality equipment and materials.  Additional program activities focus on member education and the ongoing development of PBS Boards of Directors, as well as socio-economic impact assessments. 

NRECA International, Ltd. to Expand Technical Assistance to Bangladesh
(International Tieline Newsletter, January, 2009)

NRECA International recently signed a contract with the International Resources Group to provide technical advisory services to the Government of Bangladesh as part of USAID's "Improved Capacity for Energy Access" program under the Energy II Indefinite Quantity Contract.