As the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grows every year, so does the inflow of foreign investment (FDI). As a result, FDI in Bangladesh will double or even triple in the next couple of years, said Salman F Rahman, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Private Industry and Investment.
He made the remarks during a meeting with a high-level delegation led by World Bank Vice President for South Asia Hartwig Schafer at the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) office in Agargaon, Dhaka on Monday (6 December).
During the meeting, the Vice President of the World Bank drew attention to the GDP-FDI ratio of Bangladesh. The advisor responded by saying that the ratio has remained stable over the past decade, but as the size of GDP grows each year, so does the flow of FDI.
The Prime Minister’ advisor noted the government’s remarkable success in COVID-19 identification and mass immunization programs in tackling the pandemic. He highlighted various issues of the present government and said that Bangladesh has made unprecedented progress in power generation. The traditional agricultural sector has been transformed into an agro-processing industry and hundreds of economic zones are being set up to attract foreign investment.
Noting that IT infrastructure has been built across the country to expand digital connectivity across the country, he said, “Above all, new laws have been enacted and many laws have been amended to create a conducive environment for increasing investment in the private sector.”
During the meeting, Hartwig Schafer praised Bangladesh’s inclusive growth over the past decade. He discussed the expansion of trade and commerce opportunities in Bangladesh and the development of the capital market.
Among others, BIDA’s Executive Chairman Md. Sirajul Islam, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman Professor Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority Managing Director Bikarna Kumar Ghosh, World Bank Country Director Mercy Tembon were present at the meeting.
