The 4th meeting of the Logistics Infrastructure Development Working Committee (LIDWC) took place at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Monday. Co-chaired by PMO Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin and BUILD (Business Initiative Leading Development) former chairperson Abul Kasem Khan, the meeting was also attended by BUILD Chairperson Nihad Kabir, says a press release.
BUILD CEO Ferdous Ara Begum presented the committee’s comprehensive plan of activities for the next year 2023-24. The Committee will work extensively in coordination with the National Logistics Development Coordination Committee (NLDCC) formed in the PMO and its five sub-committees.
Speakers urged to simplify the existing policy framework for the logistics sector to achieve national growth targets and strengthen capacity in trade and investment for reducing the cost of business.
Bangladesh should not lag while other South and Southeast Asian countries are taking the lead in extending logistics support and already have set out policies and strategies.
The committee stressed reducing the costs of logistics and setting out a plan rightly, and acting accordingly so that costs can be reduced gradually. LIDWC will extend all possible assistance to NLDCC and its sub-committees to ensure a holistic logistics sector.
Development partners may come forward to provide financial support to implement the work plan of LIDWC where BUILD can coordinate with other relevant agencies.
It was decided that BUILD will share the workshop (Formulating National Logistics Industry Development Policy for Bangladesh: Experience from Global Good Practices held in November 2022) outcomes in the upcoming 3rd NLDCC meeting. Moreover, LIDWC will form a structured and strong network among the stakeholders to gather inputs from private to private and private to government through consultations, develop a trade logistics tool kit and logistics index formulation, identification of demand and priority selection of private sector, coordination among trade logistics and trade facilitation initiatives, facilitate the NLDCC, sub-committees, and PMO through research, technical and secretarial support as a dialogue platform.
