Staff Reporter :
In a bid to foster a new era for Bangladesh, Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus has urged top executives of multinational companies (MNCs) operating in the country to collaborate with the government to attract investors and expand business opportunities.
“We must work together as a team. We are a team for Bangladesh,” Dr Yunus stated. “Be the Brand Ambassadors of the country.
This will encourage potential investors to consider Bangladesh,” he added while addressing over a dozen CEOs, managing directors, and country heads during a meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna.
The meeting was attended by prominent figures, including Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy to the Chief Adviser; Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA); and Abdur Rahman Khan, Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Among the business leaders present were Zaved Akhtar, Chairman and Managing Director, Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, Eric M. Walker, Managing Director, Chevron Bangladesh, Yasir Azman, CEO, Grameenphone, Md Mahbub ur Rahman, CEO, HSBC Bangladesh, Muhammad Alauddin Ahmad, CEO, MetLife Bangladesh, Rubaba Dowla, Country Managing Director, Oracle Bangladesh.
Executives raised the need for greater predictability in licensing and tax regulations, improved ease of doing business, streamlined one-stop services through BIDA, and enhanced credit ratings to attract international investors.
The executives praised the government’s reforms in labour rights and assured their full cooperation in driving economic growth.
Dr Yunus emphasised the importance of maintaining transparency in business practices. “Help us identify the issues and challenges businesses face in Bangladesh so that we can address them effectively,” he said.
Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi described the CEOs as “standard-bearers in business,” stressing the importance of rebuilding trust and bridging past gaps.
Ashik Chowdhury highlighted BIDA’s efforts to enhance business facilitation, including the introduction of relationship managers. Additionally, NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan spoke about the upcoming launch of the National Single Window, which aims to simplify business processes significantly.
Chowdhury and Siddiqi also announced plans to visit Singapore next month to engage with rating agencies in discussions aimed at improving Bangladesh’s credit ratings, further facilitating foreign investment.
