Dhaka: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday urged American businesses to invest in Bangladesh with confidence and for the long term, emphasizing his government’s commitment to building a sustainable economic partnership with the United States, anchored in investment, trade, technology, and job creation.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Prime Minister made these remarks during a meeting with a 50-member delegation from the US-Bangladesh Business Council at his office in the Bangladesh Secretariat. The delegation was led by Oliver Simpson, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Accelerate Energy, and Ambassador (Retd) Atul Keshap, President of the US-Bangladesh Business Council and Senior Vice President for South Asia at the US Chamber of Commerce.
Tarique Rahman offered opportunities in various sectors such as energy, infrastructure, technology, digital services, finance, agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics, inviting US companies to invest and expand their operations in Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister assured that his six-month-old government remains committed to creating a predictable and investment-friendly environment through deregulation, a pro-business budget, and liberal economic and fiscal policies. He emphasized that the government aims to build a rules-based, globally connected economy driven by the private sector, with American businesses as key partners in this transformation.
He outlined the government’s efforts to improve investor protection, simplify regulations, enhance tax and VAT administration, facilitate profit repatriation, reduce bureaucratic red tape, and digitize public services. Additionally, he highlighted initiatives to improve infrastructure, ports, logistics, and energy security, while promoting investments in renewable energy and modern technologies.
Prime Minister Rahman welcomed US investment through various channels, including direct investment, joint ventures, public-private partnerships, and consultancy, with the goal of expanding two-way trade and strengthening the export-import relationship between the two nations.
He revealed the government’s target of establishing a US$1 trillion economy by 2034, positioning Bangladesh as a manufacturing and investment hub through targeted incentives for priority sectors and investments in skills and technologies. The Prime Minister expressed his hope that the economic partnership with the United States would contribute to job creation, expanded trade and investment, and stronger bilateral ties.
In closing, Tarique Rahman invited US businesses to invest with confidence and focus on long-term growth, offering assurances of government support to facilitate their business interests in Bangladesh. He underscored his personal understanding of the importance of favorable business conditions, recalling his own career as a businessman before entering politics.