Top 45 US business leaders to visit Bangladesh next week: Mahdi

A delegation of 45 business leaders from 25 leading US companies will visit Bangladesh towards the end of next week, said Prime Minister's Adviser Dr Mahdi Amin. He also stated that the United States will continue to support Bangladesh's democratic progress and economic reform efforts.

He made the remarks at a briefing following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's meeting with US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon on Saturday (August 1) .

Dr Mahdi Amin said the US special envoy praised the government's initiatives on democracy, political stability and economic reforms in Bangladesh. The United States also expressed interest in taking economic cooperation to new heights.

He informed that bilateral trade, investment and energy sector cooperation were discussed in detail during the meeting. The US delegation was also apprised of the various initiatives taken by the government to address the ongoing power and gas sector crises.

The Prime Minister's adviser said the government will continue its policy support for the development of the private sector. Reform activities are ongoing to create an investment-friendly environment, accelerate industrialisation and reduce barriers to doing business. Coordination among relevant government agencies is being further strengthened for this purpose.

He further said discussions were also held on introducing 24-hour services at the country's seaports and land ports to expedite import-export activities. The system will be launched soon after completing necessary preparations. This will reduce cargo handling and transportation time, lower business costs and enhance Bangladesh's competitiveness in the international market.

Dr Mahdi Amin said the Prime Minister also held separate meetings with several leading businessmen on the same day, where issues of investment climate improvement, industrial production growth, energy supply, export expansion and various problems faced by businesses were discussed. Both sides expressed optimism about further energising the economy through joint government-private sector initiatives.

He said the government is continuously working to improve the quality of state services, enhance infrastructural capacity and revitalise economic activities. He expressed hope that these initiatives would be easier to implement with the cooperation of international partners and the active participation of the domestic private sector.