The interim government has decided to set up ten economic zones in the next ten years aiming to generate employment.
Of the ten, the following five will be implemented within the next five years: National Special Economic Zone, Srihatta Economic Zone, Jamalpur Economic Zone, Moheshkhali Economic Zone3 (Dhalghata) and Bangladesh Special Economic Zone.
The Chinese Industrial Economic Zone, Sabrang Tourism Park, Chandpur Economic Zone-1, Kushtia Economic Zone and Kurigram Economic Zone are expected to become operational in the next ten years.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed made the announcement while delivering his televised budget speech for the next 2025-26 fiscal.
He said that management and operation of Private Export Processing Zones (EPZ) has been entrusted to Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and the long-running land related complications in Korean EPZ have been resolved.
“A pipeline of investors is being formed to increase foreign investment. By this, the investment commitment will be converted into real investment through systematic tracking,” he said.
He said that Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) has already published the FDI Heatmap.
Besides, he said, we are paying special attention to encourage the implementation of investment projects through public-private partnership in the potential sectors of the country.
“For this purpose, I propose to allocate Tk 5,040 crore as public-private partnership fund in the next fiscal year. Appropriate initiatives are being taken to make public investment more effective, sustainable and fruitful.”
In the meantime, the Adviser said a number of projects that are less important or taken under political consideration have been dropped.
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To evaluate important infrastructure investment projects in the 'Transport and Connectivity' and 'Environment, Climate and Water Resources' sectors, financial and economic analysis is being done to determine the cost of the project and determine the potential benefits, he said.
In addition, he said, the projects are being evaluated during the project preparation stage to determine their environmental impact and resilience against climate change.
In addition, the Multi-Year Public Investment Program (MYPIP) has been formulated in coordination with the Medium-Term Budget Framework (MTBF) to increase efficiency and effectiveness of public investment and achieve the goals and objectives of the adopted national plans and SDGs, he added.