Bida outlines plan to boost investment

The executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida), Ashik Chowdhury, has outlined a 180-day action plan aimed at strengthening the country’s investment climate through coordinated reforms across four key agencies.

The roadmap, presented to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Sunday evening, brings together Bida, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza), the Maheshkhali Integrated Development Authority (Mida), and the Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) under a common reform framework.

Chowdhury said the plan seeks to place investment at the centre of Bangladesh’s economic growth strategy by accelerating job creation and encouraging both domestic and foreign investment.

“Our plan is centred on building an investment-led economy, accelerating employment creation, and increasing the level of domestic and foreign investment in Bangladesh through focused, implementation-driven reforms,” he said.

Amid global economic uncertainty, the immediate priority will be to support domestic investors and help existing businesses expand, while maintaining continued engagement with foreign investors.

The six-month roadmap outlines 25 initiatives structured around three pillars: infrastructure development, investment facilitation, and investment promotion.

The largest share of initiatives -- 13 in total -- falls under infrastructure development, focusing on logistics improvements and industrial readiness.

Key priorities include port modernisation, implementation of the Chinese economic zone, expansion of ready-to-use plots in industrial parks, progress on free trade zones and a defence economic zone, as well as revitalisation of state-owned enterprises through public-private partnerships and foreign investment.

Seven initiatives fall under investment facilitation, aimed at improving investor services and institutional efficiency.

These include unifying several investment promotion agencies -- Bida, Beza, PPPA, Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (Bepza) and Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) -- strengthening inter-ministerial coordination, launching the BanglaBiz single-window platform, and establishing Bida’s first overseas office in China. The plan also includes progress toward a Bangladesh-South Korea free trade agreement.

The remaining five initiatives under investment promotion focus on building a stronger investment pipeline through industry mapping, targeted foreign investment in sectors such as agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, leather, textiles and information technology, and new blue economy initiatives, including deep-sea fishing and mariculture.

Officials say the reforms reflect the ruling party’s manifesto and aim to strengthen infrastructure, streamline services, and position Bangladesh as a more competitive investment destination.