BIDA, Swisscontact join hands to enhance investment climate
The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Swisscontact have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at BIDA's Conference Hall in Agargaon, Dhaka, marking a new chapter of collaboration to strengthen Bangladesh's investment ecosystem and promote sustainable, inclusive economic growth.
The MoU aims to foster coordination between the government and development partners to create an enabling business environment, enhance institutional capacity and attract both domestic and foreign investment across key sectors.
Over the years, BIDA has led major initiatives to improve the investment climate through regulatory reforms, digitisation and inter-agency coordination. Recognising the importance of regional competitiveness, Swisscontact previously partnered with BIDA under one of its flagship projects (July 2023–December 2024) to improve the business environment and competitiveness in secondary cities.
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Building on that success, both organisations are now designing a new national initiative to improve the overall investment climate, guided by BIDA's investment heat map and reform agenda. The MoU also highlights BIDA's transformation towards an 'investor-first' model, anchored in data-driven decision-making and global best practices.
Swisscontact, a global organisation promoting sustainable private sector development, has been working in Bangladesh to strengthen institutional capacity and trade competitiveness. It aims to attract quality foreign direct investment (FDI) and generate large-scale employment, especially for youth and women.
BIDA Executive Chairman (State Minister) Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun said:
'Partnerships like this reflect Bangladesh's commitment to building a globally competitive and inclusive investment ecosystem. Our goal is to ensure that investors—local and international—experience Bangladesh as a seamless, efficient and opportunity-rich destination', he said.
The partnership will focus on three objectives:
- Evidence-driven investment climate diagnostics and coordination
- Strengthening BIDA as a globally competitive investment promotion agency (IPA)
- Sector-specific investment promotion and backward linkage development
Both organisations expressed optimism that the collaboration will attract quality investments, foster innovation and drive sustainable industrial growth across Bangladesh.
