25 US cos to visit Bangladesh next week
Around 45 senior executives representing 25 leading US companies are expected to visit Bangladesh by the end of next week to explore investment opportunities, with the energy sector expected to feature prominently in discussions as the government seeks to attract foreign capital to address power and gas challenges while expanding broader economic cooperation.
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Spokesperson Mahdi Amin disclosed the planned visit while briefing reporters at the PMO in Tejgaon on Saturday.
He said the US business delegation is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as well as officials from several ministries to discuss investment prospects and avenues for strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.
According to Amin, the visit follows recent discussions between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor, during which both sides explored ways to increase US investment, expand bilateral trade, boost exports and imports, and generate employment through greater participation of American companies in Bangladesh.
The talks also focused on the contribution US firms could make to Bangladesh’s economic development, particularly through investment, and the policy support the government could extend to encourage greater American participation.
Describing the visit as a significant milestone, Amin said it would mark the first concrete step towards securing increased investment from US companies.
“The US side expressed confidence in the prime minister’s leadership and said Bangladesh has regained stability and is moving forward on the democratic path,” he said.
He added that US officials had also appreciated the policy measures introduced by the government over the past five months.
Amin further said the recent easing of the US travel advisory for Bangladesh reflected growing international confidence in the country and could help attract more American investment.
Separately, the Prime Minister held a meeting on Saturday with leaders of several leading business groups, where discussions centred on energy shortages, reforms to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), and other longstanding challenges affecting trade and industry.
Business leaders thanked the government for policy initiatives undertaken over the past five months to improve the investment climate, while also raising concerns relating to trade, industrial development and investment.
According to the PMO spokesperson, the meeting extensively discussed energy security, gas and electricity supply, tax reforms, improving the ease of doing business, and measures to attract greater investment to economic zones and industrial clusters by simplifying procedures and removing regulatory bottlenecks.
“The prime minister and business leaders discussed energy security, gas and electricity supply, tax reforms, improving the ease of doing business, and ways to attract more investment to economic zones and industrial clusters by simplifying existing procedures and removing bottlenecks,” Amin said.
To facilitate trade, the Prime Minister directed the relevant authorities to ensure round-the-clock operations at the country’s major gateways, including Chattogram Port and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, enabling faster import and export activities.
Amin said the government’s overarching objective is to create more employment by fostering a business-friendly investment environment through sustained policy reforms and close engagement with the private sector.
