Business Report :
Foreign travel permissions for three deputy governors of Bangladesh Bank were withheld by the Financial Institutions Division (FID), preventing them from attending four major international training programmes scheduled between July and November this year.
Despite being nominated for the events, none of the deputy governors Md Kabir Ahmed, Md Habibur Rahman and Zakir Hossain Chowdhury were able to travel due to the absence of required government orders (GOs), according to central bank sources.
Under existing policy, the Bangladesh Bank governor and deputy governors must obtain approval from the Finance Adviser, followed by an official GO from the Office of the Chief Adviser, before undertaking any foreign trip. Other officials, however, travel with permissions issued directly by the central bank.
Four missed opportunities
Deputy governor Md Kabir Ahmed was selected for two of the four training programmes. One of these was the IFSB annual meeting on Islamic finance, held in Morocco last July. Although a GO was requested in his name, it was never issued.
Another opportunity for Kabir Ahmed a training event organised by the IMF in China in November was also cancelled due to the same reason.
Deputy governor Zakir Hossain Chowdhury was scheduled to attend a workshop on digital transactions and card management in France in September. Despite the Indian organising body agreeing to bear the expenses, he too was unable to travel without government clearance.
The fourth missed event involved deputy governor Md Habibur Rahman, who had been nominated to attend a one-day IMF training workshop in the United States in November. The IMF confirmed it would fully fund the visit, but the absence of a GO forced the central bank to withdraw participation.
Growing delays worry central bank officials
Several Bangladesh Bank officials, requesting anonymity, said that GOs for the governor and deputy governors have recently been delayed more than usual.
They warned that such prolonged scrutiny is hampering the central bank’s presence and representation in significant international forums, affecting global networking and capacity-building opportunities.
