UK businesses look for opportunities in Bangladesh

The areas being explored include ICT, garments, manufacturing, infrastructure, engineering, construction, logistics, banking, financial services and other consumer sectors.

A 23-member trade mission by the UK Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce & Industry (UKBCCI) visited BIDA’s offices on Tuesday.

The mission hopes to further expand bilateral trade with Bangladesh particularly in face of Brexit.

BIDA Executive Chairman Kazi M Aminul Islam told the delegation that non-resident Bangladeshis should develop a new level of confidence in relation to their country.

“The country that you have now is totally different from the country you left behind so many years ago. In the last ten years, GDP per capita has more than doubled. When FDI fell globally last year, it grew 68 percent in Bangladesh – the highest in the world,” he said.

“We’re welcoming NRBs from all over the world to strengthen their relationship to Bangladesh in terms of trade and investment. We’re working to create distinct opportunities for them,” said the BIDA chief.

UKBCCI Chairman Iqbal Ahmed said that the new generation of British-Bangladeshis is affectionate towards Bangladesh.

“From time to time we bring these young entrepreneurs to Bangladesh. We encourage them to return to their roots. We believe they can play a huge role by sharing their experiences, especially regarding the IT and services industry,” he said.

BIDA has been facilitating the delegation’s visit to several ministers including commerce, industries and expatriates’ welfare. They visited the offices of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority and Bangladesh High-tech Park Authority.

On Tuesday, they met Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman.

The UK businesspersons will be exploring investment opportunities in Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram as part of their visit scheduled between June 14 and June 21.