Staff Reporter:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought more foreign investment in Bangladesh saying her government has been taking every possible measure to attract overseas investment.
“We’re taking various measures as foreign investment in larger volume can come to Bangladesh,” she said.
The Premier said these while opening a two-day program marking the 60th anniversary of the For-eign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Investment Expo-2023 at a city hotel.
She said her government is setting up 100 economic zones and have already built 39 high-tech parks across Bangladesh.
“We have kept open the economic zones and high-tech parks for foreign investments. If a country wants land (in the economic zones or high-tech parks) it can get it, or it can also invest in joint collaboration if it wish or can go for investment under the private public partnership (PPP),” she said.
She continued that they are creating scopes for attracting foreign investments in many ways.
The premier also said her government has established Bangladesh Investment Development Au-thority (BIDA), Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA), Bangladesh Economic Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA), Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (HTPA) and Public Private Partner-ship Authority (PPPA).
“One stop service has been introduced in investment development agencies to facilitate invest-ment,” she said.
The prime minister said they have undertaken plans to make all offices with providing investment services fully online and digitized.
At the same time, she said they are continuously working to simplify the investment policy, in-cluding tax waivers, remittance royalties, exit policies, dividends and full repatriation of capital, foreign investment protection by law.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has recognized logistics sector, fourth industrial revolution related sectors and tourism sector as industries in the National Industrial Policy 2022 to attract lo-cal and foreign investments.
She continued that her government has formulated new schemes to attract investments in larger volume in the blue-economy sector.
The prime minister said Bangladesh is going to be the world’s 9th largest consumer market by 2030.
She said: “We’ve been working with a target so that Bangladesh could surpass the established markets such as the UK and Germany, and the current high-growth countries Vietnam and Thai-land during the period,” she said.
Coming to power for the first time in 1996 after 21 years, she said the Awami League government had made open the private sector and taken various measures to attract foreign investments follow-ing the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“Bangladesh has marched well ahead towards economic prosperity due to taking the measures,” she said.
After assuming power for the second time in 2009, she said they have been able to make huge change of Bangladesh in terms of development and prosperity in the last 15 years.
“We have been able to transform Bangladesh into one of the fastest growing economy in the world,” she added.
The premier also unveiled a research book titled ‘Catalyzing Greater FDI for Vision 2041’, pub-lished by FICCI.
Sheikh Hasina was presented a memorial memento, the symbol of Bangladesh that is marching towards advancement, made by eminent Bangladeshi artist and sculptor Hamiduzzaman Khan.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Sal-man Fazlur Rahman, Senior Secretary of Commerce Ministry Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Executive Chairman (Senior Secretary) of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Lok-man Hossain Miah, FICCI President Naser Azaz Bijoy and its Senior Vice President Deepal Abew-ickrema, spoke on the occasion.
A number of internationally successful investors, who invested in Bangladesh, also addressed the function.
A video documentary titled “Forever Futures Forward” was screened on the occasion.
