Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday assured investors of full government support in reviving non-operational and loss-making state-owned factories, saying the government is committed to removing any obstacles and creating a more business-friendly environment.
“We just want you to grow further, and we want to help you by providing all necessary support,” he told local and foreign business leaders and investors at a roadshow organised to attract investment in closed and loss-making state-owned factories.
Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu said the programme, jointly organised by the Ministry of Industries, the Ministry of Textiles and Jute and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon.
Addressing entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister said the government wants businesses to expand and contribute more to the country's economic growth.
“I have said before that we want you to move forward. You have raised a number of issues and shared your views on how the government can support you in addressing them within a short period. We have already started working on some of these matters,” Shiplu quoted Tarique Rahman as saying.
The Prime Minister said the primary responsibility of a political government is to remove barriers and create pathways for overcoming problems, but noted that the government alone cannot achieve this goal.
“The reality is that we cannot solve all problems at once. But we can address them gradually,” he said.
Seeking cooperation from the business community, Tarique Rahman said collective efforts will be essential for improving the overall investment climate.
“My request is that you cooperate with us so that we can further improve the situation and move forward together,” he said.
Referring to the more than three-hour discussion held during the programme, the Prime Minister said both the government and business leaders identified challenges and opportunities facing the country's industrial sector.
“I just want to say that we should work together to bring about changes. There are problems and challenges. But we have also realised that if we all work together, we can overcome them,” he said.
At the event, detailed presentations on 44 factories were made before investors and business leaders. The presentations highlighted the factories’ locations, existing infrastructure, investment facilities, transport connectivity, production expansion potential and other relevant information.
Business leaders later participated in an open discussion and shared their views on investment-related issues. They raised around 50 questions, which were answered by the relevant authorities.
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Commerce, Industries and Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muqtadir, Prime Minister's Adviser on Economic and Planning Affairs Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology Rehan Asif Asad, BIDA Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, Bangladesh Bank Governor Mostaqur Rahman, and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar, among others, were present.
Top executives and business leaders from leading local conglomerates, including PRAN-RFL Group, ACI Limited, Walton, Meghna Group, Runner Group, TK Group, BRAC, Nabil Group, Square Group, Transcom Group, Akij Group and Lal Teer, attended the programme.
Representatives from several Japanese companies and organisations, including Marubeni Corporation, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, MUFG Bank Limited, Mitsui & Co (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Sojitz Asia Pte Ltd, JETRO Bangladesh and the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, also joined the programme.