Despite slow investment flow across the world, Bangladesh is becoming a center of the global business community, which will help the country achieve Vision-2041. A meager labor cost, skilled workforce, favorable government policies, uninterrupted electricity supply, high productivity, and political stability are turning Bangladesh into a global investment hub despite the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, many world-renowned foreign companies are coming with big investment offers.
The works for establishing 97 economic zones across the country are going on to ensure planned industrialization. BEZA is the best place for planned automation. Despite the pandemic, Bangladesh is keeping all sorts of services through ports, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), BEZA, and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA). Even investors from home and abroad are quickly receiving the services.
Due to the pandemic, investment in different countries is becoming difficult, but Bangladesh has kept its investment door open. I want to make BEZA a more attractive place for investment by applying my long experience in the civil service. I have been working in the civil service for more than 32 years. I have got the opportunity to gather skills from various sectors. So, I want to use my skills to build BEZA.
By 2041, Bangladesh will become a developed country, and organizations like BEZA will have to work as per their targets. We already have set a target to create jobs for around one crore people by establishing 100 economic zones. We have also developed a target to earn an additional $40 billion by exporting goods from the economic zones.
The satisfying news is that our governing board has already approved the location and amount of land in 97 economic zones, of which 68 are public economic zones and 29 are private economic zones. Out of the economic zones, nine zones have already gone to production while the development of 28 zones is progressing fast. Twenty-seven industries have gone to production while construction works of 39 industries are ongoing.
So, the economic zones have already created around 41 thousand employment opportunities. Alongside, we also have a One-Stop Service (OSS) center for providing all necessary services to the country’s investors at a single window. Now, a total of 125 services are available under the OSS center. Out of the services, investors are now getting 48 services online.
Happy New Year To All!
Shaikh Yusuf Harun
Executive Chairman
Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA)
