Abdur Rouf Talukder new Bangladesh Bank governor

Abdur Rouf Talukder, senior secretary at the finance ministry, has been appointed new governor of the Bangladesh Bank for a four-year term.

He will succeed the current Governor Fazle Kabir, whose tenure as the central bank chief ends on 3 July.

The Financial Institutions Division of the finance ministry announced the appointment in a circular issued on Saturday.

According to the regulations for appointment as central bank governor, Abdur Rouf will have to retire from the public service and abandon all work-ties with all other institutions and associations.  

According to the Bangladesh Bank (Amendment) Act, 2020, the government appoints a governor for a term of four years and the governor can serve as the governor until the age of 67.  

Earlier, the age limit was 65 and it was amended during the Coronavirus pandemic to allow the current governor Fazle Kabir, who was 65 at the time, to implement the covid-time stimulus packages. Outgoing Governor Fazle Kabir will be 67 on 3 July.

Abdur Rouf was expected to be appointed as the central bank governor, as his name as the next governor was much discussed in the Secretariat over the last few months.

The official notification from the ministry came two days after the government announced the national budget for the next fiscal year 2022-23.

According to the Finance Division, Abdur Rouf Talukder joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in February, 1988. He worked in a wide range of government positions in his long illustrious career. However, his specialisation in public finance and economic management brought him to the Finance Division, where he worked for more than 18 years before elevating to the position of Finance Secretary on 17 July 2018.

He also has served in the Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Food, and Ministry of Information and the Bangladesh High Commission, Kuala Lumpur as First Secretary (Commercial).

In the Finance Division, he has contributed in important areas like budget reform, macroeconomic management and introduction of IT in PFM. He was instrumental in implementing the Medium-Term Budget Framework (MTBF) and the new Budget and Accounting Classification System (BACS). He played the key role in the introduction of payroll automation for the government employees, EFT for pensioners and automation of National Saving Certificates. He is one of the key contributors in drafting the Public Money and Budget management Act, 2009 and Autonomous Bodies' Surplus Revenue Act. 2020. 

Abdur Rouf Talukder has a vast experience in designing and implementing projects under Annual Development Program (ADP). He worked in the Financial Management Reform Project (FMRP) as MTBF Specialist while he was a Deputy Secretary. Again, in the later part of his career, he led the team of officials in designing and implementing the Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP) which is a comprehensive approach to the skill development of the country. He has served as the first Executive Project Director of SEIP.  

He received the 'National Integrity Award, 2021'. He also led the Finance Division to achieve 'Public Administration Award 2021' at the National Level Technical Institution category.

Abdur Rouf Talukder holds a MSc in Development Management from the University of Birmingham, UK and an MBA from Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of the University of Dhaka. In addition, he attended a number of professional training courses at Harvard Kennedy School of Government; IMF Institute; Crown Agents Training & Professional Development Centre and Institute of Public Finance (IPF).

Born in August, 1964, Abdur Rouf Talukder is married to Selina Rawshan, a teacher by profession and they have one daughter and one son.