25 US firms to visit Bangladesh next week to explore investment opportunities: Mahdi
The PMO spokesperson says the delegation will discuss investment opportunities and bilateral economic cooperation during the visit.
Highlights:
- US firms to explore investment opportunities in Bangladesh.
- Talks to focus on trade, investment and bilateral economic cooperation.
- Government eyes more jobs through increased US investment.
Around 45 senior executives from 25 leading US companies are expected to visit Bangladesh by the end of next week to explore investment opportunities, Prime Minister's Office (PMO) spokesperson Mahdi Amin said today (1 August).
Speaking to reporters at the PMO in the capital's Tejgaon, he said the delegation is expected to meet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and officials from several ministries to discuss investment opportunities and ways to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation.
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According to Amin, the scheduled visit follows recent talks between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor, during which the two sides discussed increasing US investment, expanding bilateral trade, boosting exports and imports, and creating jobs through greater participation of American companies in Bangladesh.
He said the discussions also focused on the role American companies could play in Bangladesh's economic development and the policy support the government could provide to encourage more US investment.
The upcoming visit would be the first step towards securing more investment from US companies, he added.
"The US side expressed confidence in the prime minister's leadership and said Bangladesh has regained stability and is moving forward on the democratic path," Amin said.
He added that US officials had also appreciated the policy measures adopted by the government over the past five months.
The recent easing of the US travel advisory for Bangladesh reflected growing international confidence in the country and could help attract more American investment, he said.
The prime minister also held a meeting with leaders of several leading business groups today, during which they discussed power and gas shortages, reforms to the National Board of Revenue, and other longstanding challenges facing the country's trade and industrial sectors, the PMO spokesperson said.
During the meeting, business leaders thanked the government for policy measures taken over the past five months to improve the investment climate, while the prime minister heard their concerns over trade, industry and investment, he added.
"The prime minister and business leaders discussed energy security, gas and electricity supply, tax reforms, improving the ease of doing business, and ways to attract more investment to economic zones and industrial clusters by simplifying existing procedures and removing bottlenecks," Amin said.
He further said the prime minister had instructed the authorities concerned to ensure round-the-clock operations at the country's ports, including Chattogram Port and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, to facilitate faster import and export activities.
The government's goal is to create more employment by promoting a business-friendly investment environment through continued policy reforms and close engagement with the private sector, he added.
