Licences of 10 economic zones cancelled: Beza executive chairman
The decision was made at a meeting with the chief adviser today
Highlights:
- Licences of 5 govt and 5 private economic zones cancelled
- Inter-ministerial meeting to be held to approve economic zones in the future
- Investment proposals worth Tk3,100 crore announced at Bida summit
The government has cancelled the licences of 10 economic zones, said Ashik Chowdhury, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza).
Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka this afternoon, he said the decision was made at a meeting with the chief adviser today (13 April).
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The list of cancelled economic zones include five government economic zones and five private economic zones.
The cancelled government economic zones are: Sonadia Eco Tourism Park, Cox's Bazar; Sundarban Tourism, Bagerhat; Gajaria Economic Zone, Munshiganj; Shreepur Economic Zone, Gazipur; and Mymensingh Economic Zone, Ishwarganj Mymensingh.
The cancelled private economic zones are: 'Garments Industries Park' proposed by BGMEA, Munshiganj; Chatak Economic Zone, Sunamganj; Famkam Economic Zone, Bagerhat; City Special Economic Zone, Dhaka; and Sonargaon Economic Zone, Narayanganj.
During the previous government, Beza approved to establish 97 economic zones – 68 government and 29 private – nationwide.
"I have already said earlier that there is no need for 100 economic zones. Today, the licenses of 10 economic zones have been canceled. We think that these are not needed," Ashik said.
"If economic zones are approved in the future, an inter-ministerial meeting will be held and ministries will have to commit that they will be able to properly provide their services to the economic zones. What happens now is that economic zones are approved, but investors do not get proper services year after year."
The Bida chief highlighted the success of the recently concluded Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025, noting that 415 foreign delegates from 50 countries attended the event and investment proposals worth Tk3,100 crore were announced.
He also said that while major investment commitments take time, initial groundwork has been laid.
"No one will write a cheque for Tk100 crore after attending a four-day summit. But we've taken them to visit factory sites, explained where to go and how to start operations. Investors left the summit satisfied," he added.
He further said Beza will maintain follow-up communication with attendees to ensure progress along the investment pipeline.
He also hoped that similar investment events will be organised by future governments as well.
Nahiyan Rahman Rochi, head of Business Development at Bida, shared additional statistics of the summit.
Over the course of the summit, more than 3,500 individuals participated, with 130 speakers and panelists contributing to discussions. Investment proposals worth Tk3,100 crore were received, primarily through Handa and ShopUp, and six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed. Partner organisations also contributed to the overall event expenses.
