Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said that Bangladesh could achieve the GDP growth rate of 5.24 percent despite pandemic due to the 'Balance of life and Livelihood' policy pursued by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He also illustrated that the government of Bangladesh under the statesmanship of the Prime Minister has been working towards achieving the goal of becoming a developed country by 2041 and foreign investment has played a huge role in achieving this goal.
The foreign minister was speaking at a webinar titled “Increasing FDI into the Economic Zones of Bangladesh: Role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.
The International Trade, Investment and Technology Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organised the webinar to identify the role of the Ministry in the enhancement of FDI in the post Covid-19 global situation.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen chaired the discussion. Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury presented the keynote presentation at the webinar.
Officials of various government organisations, investors and Ambassadors/High Commissioners of the Bangladesh Embassies participated in the webinar.
The foreign minister mentioned the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in increasing foreign investment and said that the present government was giving utmost importance to economic diplomacy.
He highlighted the progress of Bangladesh in various economic and social indicators and said that foreign investment has a significant role to play in accelerating industrialisation, increasing employment, increasing exports and acquiring higher skills and knowledge in the country.
In his speech, the Foreign Secretary mentioned that 100 special economic zones were established across the country for planned industrialisation and to attract foreign investors and emphasised on rapid and sustainable industrialisation.
He hoped that the economic zones would give a new impetus to the national economic progress through proper infrastructure, necessary services and timely policies.
He called upon all government and non-government organisations to work together to bring in more foreign investment.
At the webinar, the Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority highlighted the various steps taken by the government to establish economic zones in Bangladesh and gave a powerpoint presentation on the established economic zones.