Commerce reporter:
Invest Bangladesh, the country’s investment promotion agency, has received special recognition as the ‘Outstanding LDC Investment Promotion Agency’ at the Investment Excellence Awards organised by the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Riaz Hamidullah, received the award on behalf of Invest Bangladesh at a ceremony held at 6:00 pm local time on Tuesday.
WAIPA, an international organisation of investment promotion agencies, is hosting its 30th World Investment Conference in Geneva from November 10 to 12. The awards recognise the achievements of investment promotion agencies as part of the conference.
An independent international jury selected the agency for the special recognition based on its notable performance and achievements against international benchmarks among investment promotion agencies in least developed countries (LDCs), said a press release.
The recognition reflects the government’s ongoing reform initiatives to improve Bangladesh’s investment climate, strengthen investor support and make investment-related institutional services simpler and more effective.
According to Invest Bangladesh, the agency consulted around 200 domestic and foreign investors before undertaking various investment climate reforms in 2025. Key initiatives included expanding bonded warehouse facilities for partial exporters and simplifying procedures for borrowing from abroad and repatriating investment capital.
Under its Ambassador Programme, the agency also coordinated with various government bodies to resolve longstanding issues faced by major investors, including Youngone. Besides, it identified 19 priority sectors through an FDI Heatmap to provide targeted guidance for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).
Building on these initiatives, Invest Bangladesh announced a 180-day investment action plan in March 2026, focusing on infrastructure development, easier access to government services for investors and the implementation of potential investment projects. The agency published a progress report on the plan in September.
Invest Bangladesh was formed through the merger of several agencies, bringing investment facilitation, economic zones and public-private partnership (PPP) activities under a single authority.
The award jury particularly highlighted BanglaBiz, Bangladesh’s integrated digital investment services platform, which enables investors to access more than 142 services from 47 government agencies.
The jury also appreciated Invest Bangladesh’s role in advancing the implementation process of APM Terminals’ US$550 million Laldia Container Terminal project.
Invest Bangladesh Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun expressed gratitude to the government and stakeholders for supporting the reform initiatives aimed at improving the investment climate.
He said the recognition reflected the collective efforts of Invest Bangladesh employees, who work every day to provide investors with easier, faster and more effective services.
According to the agency, net FDI inflows to Bangladesh increased by around 39 percent in 2025. It is currently monitoring the progress of potential investment proposals worth around $1.3 billion from various countries and sectors.
Turning these prospective investments into actual projects remains one of the agency’s key priorities. The initiatives are also expected to contribute to Bangladesh’s ambition of becoming a regional manufacturing hub.
