Around 45 senior executives from 25 leading US companies are expected to visit Bangladesh by the end of next week to explore investment opportunities and strengthen economic engagement between the two countries.
The visiting business delegation will hold a series of meetings with officials from different ministries and government agencies.
The executives are also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, PM Office spokesperson Mahdi Amin told reporters on Saturday.
Mahdi disclosed the information at a press briefing outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon following a meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and visiting US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor.
He said Washington expressed strong confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and observed that stability had returned to Bangladesh under his leadership, while the country’s democratic journey was moving forward positively.
He said the US side also appreciated a number of policy measures adopted by the government over the past five months.
Mahdi said the two sides discussed ways to elevate the longstanding Bangladesh-US relationship through deeper economic engagement, with particular emphasis on increasing US investment, expanding bilateral trade and creating more employment opportunities in Bangladesh.
He said discussions also focused on how American companies could play a greater role in Bangladesh’s economic development and what policy support the government could provide to facilitate increased investment. “Both sides also reviewed ways to boost exports and imports between the two countries.”
Mahdi said the recent revision of the US State Department’s travel advisory reflected growing international confidence in Bangladesh and would send a positive message to American investors that the country is open for business and investment.
He said Bangladesh wants to build on its historic relationship with the United States by expanding trade, attracting more American investment and generating greater employment through a stronger economic partnership.
“We believe the historic Bangladesh-US relationship will reach a new level. Through deeper partnership, we hope to attract more US trade and investment, creating more employment opportunities in Bangladesh,” the Spokesperson said.
Mahdi also expressed optimism that the United States would continue to stand beside Bangladesh as a friendly partner in its democratic journey, adding that Washington’s confidence in Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership was encouraging.
Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon, Deputy Press Secretary Zahidul Islam Rony and Assistant Press Secretary Nazmul Haque, among others, were present at the briefing.
Referring to a meeting between the Prime Minister and leading local business leaders earlier in the day, Mahdi said business representatives thanked the government for policy measures taken over the past five months to improve the investment climate.
He said the Prime Minister listened to concerns raised by business leaders regarding trade, industry and investment and discussed possible solutions, particularly in the areas of energy security, gas and electricity supply, tax reforms and improving the ease of doing business.
The meeting also reviewed measures to attract greater investment to economic zones and industrial clusters by simplifying existing procedures and removing bottlenecks, he said.
Mahdi said one immediate decision taken by the Prime Minister was to instruct the authorities concerned to ensure 24-hour operations at the country’s ports, including Chattogram Port and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, to facilitate faster import and export activities.
“The Prime Minister directed the relevant authorities to ensure round-the-clock services at Bangladesh’s ports so that import and export activities can be carried out more efficiently,” he said.
Mahdi said the government’s objective is to create more employment by promoting a business-friendly and investment-friendly environment through continued policy reforms and close engagement with the private sector.
Mahdi described the upcoming visit as an important step towards expanding US investment in Bangladesh and further deepening bilateral economic cooperation.