Covid-19 hasn’t changed Bangladesh as an attractive investment destination, says PM adviser Salman F Rahman
Staff Reporter: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not tainted Bangladesh’s growing reputation as an investment-friendly destination, speakers said at a webinar on Wednesday.
The webinar titled “Bangladesh Forward: Avenues for Recovery and Growth” was organised by the US Chambers of Commerce. Officials from Bangladesh’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) took part in the programme.
Hundreds of non-Bangladeshi US businesses and institutions also took part in the programme held in a digital platform.
Speaking on the occasion, Salman F Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said the
Bangladesh government is well-prepared to avert the long-term effect of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We took some very important early steps to mitigate the effect of the pandemic. One of the remarkable things that Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina did was to appoint 5,000 new physicians and nurses, and 3,000 new technicians,” he said.
Also, Bangladesh has ramped up its COVID-19 testing facility in the last couple of months, Rahman added.
“Initially, we could test only 1,000 people but gradually the capacity has been ramped up. We tested over 17,000 people in a single day today (Wednesday),” he said.
Salman said Bangladesh with its demographic dividend will be proven to be an attractive destination for many investors. “Of course, coronavirus has been changing many things in the world but it hasn’t changed Bangladesh as an attractive investment destination.”
Dr Ahmed Kaikaus, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told the programme that bilateral relations between Bangladesh and USA is in an excellent state. “We could increase the economic cooperation between the two countries on many fronts,” he said.
Kaikaus assured the audience comprised of US business leaders that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t made Bangladesh’s investment scenario any less hospitable.
Junaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), said USA is the largest market for Bangladesh’s ICT export. “Around 27 per cent of the ICT export from Bangladesh goes to USA. I hope this will only increase in the future,” he said.
Earl R Miller, US Ambassador to Bangladesh, and Md Ziauddin, Bangladesh ambassador to the US, also took part in the webinar moderated by Nisha Biswal, senior vice president (South Asia) of the US Chamber of Commerce. Source: The Independent
