Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday proposed establishment of a D-8 Economic Zone in Bangladesh for investment by the member countries aimed at accelerating their collective economic growth. The offer came in five-point proposals she made in her speech at the of the 20th D-8 Council of Ministers meeting at Dhaka’s Hotel InterContinental, joining it through video conferencing from her official residence Ganobhaban. The prime minister said Bangladesh is ready to provide space at its Special Economic Zones for investment of the member states. “If it begins the process now, within the next decade, it will have a robust D-8 Economic Zone,” she said.D-8, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkiye. Established in 1997, the objectives of the forum are to improve member states’ position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at international level and improve standards of living. PM Hasina said time has come for the 25-year-old forum to expand its focus also on implementation of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), increased trade, ICT, diversification of agriculture for attaining food security and finding sources of alternative energy. Read: PM Hasina urges global solidarity to face looming humanitarian crisis caused by war