Meeting With the Honourable Planning Minister

BUILD Chairperson Abul Kasem Khan paid a courtesy call on MA Mannan MP, Minister of Ministry of Planning, Government of Bangladesh, on 26 January 2021 at the Minister’s office.

Planning Minister MA Mannan said that we need to step ahead to ensure more private sector engagement in a public-private partnership for coordinated development in the country.

Stressing on the importance of enabling the business environment in Bangladesh, he stated that the government would extend all forms of logistical support to make the private sector vibrant. In this line, he appreciated the formation of the Logistics and Infrastructure Working Committee of BUILD. It is commendable that BUILD already has a well-functioning public-private dialogue (PPD) model. He expressed hope that BUILD, with its Working Committees, will continue to contribute to the government’s policy-making process independently.

BUILD Chairperson Abul Kasem Khan briefly highlighted the organisation’s major activities and appreciated that the government had taken a number of fiscal, monetary, and micro-financial measures to combat COVID-19. The pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to the entire global economy, which continues to exert downward economic pressures on countries across the world. With timely action, the government not only delivered economic relief to many but also injected confidence into businesses and the economy, he said.

Further initiatives to address employment and revive domestic demand would be critical to set the economy back on a robust growth pathway. Otherwise, the target of the Perspective Plan for manufacturing growth may be challenging to achieve, he added.

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