One of the main purposes of the Investment Summit is to change the perceptions of global investors toward Bangladesh, said Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority.
He said that Bangladesh has improved greatly in some of its sectors as a package, whereas it has not improved as much in others. However, the perception of global investors about Bangladesh is still blurry.
Ashik Mahmud, also executive chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, said this responding to journalists’ questions at a press conference on Sunday in the capital regarding the Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025 to be held from April 7 to 10.
Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus will address the summit on April 9 in the presence of ambassadors, top business executives, and policymakers.
BIDA’s executive chairman also said that they wanted to physically show the investors the actual investment scenario of Bangladesh. He added that they would portray Bangladesh as a model country in the next 5 to 10 years.
Responding to another question, he said that the authorities never announced that Elon Musk would join the summit. In addition to business, Elon Musk is currently an official of the US government, so he needs a proper process. However, they are trying to bring Elon Musk someday.
He also said the summit would run through Starlink from Hotel InterContinental on April 9, and visitors can connect their private devices through Starlink too.
Responding to a question, he said that access to the Starlink would be available. People from the southern part to the northern area of the country can subscribe it whenever they want, he added.
Regarding a question about the presence of big companies, he said that Inditex is one of the country’s big buyers of RMG items. Some senior officials will also come from companies like Samsung.
Some big venture capital companies that finance startups and some notable global conglomerates will participate in the summit, he said.
He added that Chinese companies like China Communication Construction Company, China Road and Bridge Corporation, Power China, and US companies like Excelerate Energy and President Energy, will also participate in the summit.
This summit will help change the global perception about Bangladesh and improve the ease of doing business.
Responding to another question, he said that everyone knows there are some problems in the gas supply.
The currency reserve is improving gradually, he said.
Moreover, Bangladesh has some long-term contracts with gas suppliers effective from 2026. As foreign currency reserve is becoming stable, there will be no hassles in importing gas in the coming days,’ he added.
Moreover, if Bangladesh can import LNG from the USA, it will help reduce the trade imbalance between Bangladesh and the North American country.
The government has a plan to reduce pressure for household or conventional gas usage to increase pressure for industrial usage.
Regarding the banking sector, he said that while there are some issues at some of the country’s banks, that did not mean the whole banking system has been destroyed.
‘Many good banks in the country made handsome profits last year. So, we don’t think the foreign investors will face financing issues,’ he added.
He also said they invited political parties like the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party, which will share their investment plans if they can form government.
He also said that the US’s fresh tariffs on Bangladesh won’t impact the economy. The US imposed tariffs based on a report by the USTR, in which the organisation suggested some reforms for Bangladesh.
‘Their suggested reforms are almost same as our reform agenda. Moreover, the tariffs on our competitors are almost same,’ he added.
He said they would sign a non-military cooperation contract with NASA at the summit.
Regarding the summit schedule, he said that the investors would visit Korean EPZ and National Special Economic Zone at Mirersarai on April 7, Japanese EZ and other industrial hubs at Narayanganj on April 8.
The summit will formally begin at InterContinental Dhaka on April 9. On April 9 and 10, parallel sessions, discussions with the World Bank and the ILO, and fairs at the summit will be conducted.