Prime Minister’s adviser HT Imam today called upon Japanese entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh’s potential sectors, especially in export processing zones under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concept.
“We invite Japanese entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh as many local and foreign investors have already invested here under the PPP,” Imam told a seminar on `Investment Opportunity in Bangladesh’ at a hotel in the city.
Japanese Embassy in Dhaka and Japan Bangladesh Development Authority (JBDA) jointly organized the seminar as a high-level Japanese trade delegation is now visiting Bangladesh.
The 18-member trade delegation comprising Japanese parliamentarians and business leaders arrived here on Saturday on a three-day visit to Bangladesh to explore new areas of investment opportunities here.
Chief of Japan Bangladesh Parliamentary Association (JBPA)
Akita Ishii, Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Tamotsu Shinotsuka
and President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FBCCI) AK Azad addressed the seminar.
Executive chairman of Board of Investment (BoI) Dr Syed A
Samad presented the keynote paper focusing on diverse facilities
for joint venture investment and foreign direct investment (FDI)
in Bangladesh.
HT Imam described Japan as a single largest bilateral donor
for Bangladesh and said commonalties of the two countries brought
Bangladesh and Japan together.
He favoured more exchange of students’ programmes and
promotional activities of tourism and trade within the countries
for mutual benefit.
Bangladesh is no more a basket case as the country is now
considered as the best destination for investment and its cost of
doing business is mush low compared to other others, Dr Samad
said quoting a World Bank survey as saying.
He listed cheaper labour cost, regional connectivity,
vibrant local market, minimum risk factors to FDI, improved
macroeconomic performance and excellent performance of export
processing zones as main attraction for foreign investors.
AK Azad informed the Japanese delegation that they have a
plan to set up a special economic zone either at Chittagong or
north Bengal of the country. “We are ready to go for joint
venture investment,” said the FBCCI president.
Referring to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming
visit to Japan, Shinotsuka said it will help strengthen the
existing relationship between the two countries.
DHAKA, Nov (BSS)