The 15th meeting of the Private Sector Development Policy Coordination Committee (PSDPCC) was held on 28 October 2025 at the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO), chaired by M. Siraz Uddin Miah, Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser. The meeting emphasised the need to revisit several trade and investment policies to reduce the cost, time, and procedural barriers to doing business, in order to address post-graduation challenges.
Following introductory remarks by Dr Ahmed Ullah FCMA, Director General, CAO, Ferdaus Ara Begum, CEO of BUILD, made a presentation highlighting that out of the 37 recommendations made during the 14th PSDPCC meeting, 15 have already been implemented. These include the issuance of a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) allowing duty-free import of raw materials for partial exporters, the reduction of duties on chemicals used in the tannery sector, and the utilisation of tannery solid waste in producing value-added products such as gelatin and capsule covers.
Other notable initiatives include the introduction of an escrow policy by the Bangladesh Bank, the use of digital business identification (DBID) for e-commerce and informal entrepreneurs, and progress towards formulating a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy and amending the Companies Act. She noted that while these represent encouraging steps forward, much remains to be achieved, particularly in advancing leather sector development, solar power generation and other priority areas.
A policy paper on simplifying trade licence issuance and renewal processes was also presented, emphasising the need for a unified policy across all local authorities, implementing a five-year trade licence validity, and reducing undocumented costs.
In his remarks, the Principal Secretary took careful note of the proposals that remain unimplemented and informed the meeting that the government has introduced Nagorik Sheba—a single-window platform for citizen services—through which individuals will be able to access 12 essential services, including the issuance of trade licences.
He advised the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to form a committee to propose necessary amendments to the Import Policy Order (IPO) in order to ensure UD/UP declarations against back-to-back letters of credit (L/Cs) for partial exporters across all industrial sectors. He also requested the MoC to take steps to implement the export roadmap for the leather sector, developed by BUILD with support from the EC4J project.
In addition, he urged the ministry to take the lead in convening an inter-ministerial meeting to revise the Companies Act 1994 by 15 November 2025. He further emphasised the need for deadline-based implementation, advising the formation of dedicated committees to streamline UD/UP simplification and trade licence-related policies to make the processes more efficient and hassle-free.
Mahbubur Rahman, Secretary, MoC, informed the meeting that the new IPO had already been sent to the Cabinet Division for comments two weeks earlier and would be implemented shortly. He added that the e-commerce policy would be implemented in alignment with the Consumers Protection Act 2025. Responding to issues related to renewable energy, he clarified that unless specifically included in the restricted list, all items are permitted for import under the new policy.
Dr Farhina Ahmed, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), urged the Ministry of Industries (MoI) to play an active role in the national waste management process. She also called upon the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to address tax-related challenges affecting waste management initiatives.
Dr Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, Executive Chairman, National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), recommended that the Business Identification Number (BIN) could serve as a unique identification number and as an alternative for trade licence and business registration from a single platform. She also offered support from NSDA where required.
Mohammad Abdur Rouf, Secretary, Bridges Division, also contributed and recommended that business support services be kept as simple as possible.
Mohammad Shahjahan Miah, Secretary (in charge), Local Government Division (LGD), informed the meeting that a project is being implemented for trade licence services in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), allowing people to obtain their licences from home. He also mentioned that the LGD has written to the NBR regarding tax-related issues to reduce the burden on those whose incomes fall below the taxable threshold.
Additional Secretary of the Power Division, K. M. Ali Reza, emphasised rooftop solar power and proposed facilitating the easy import of solar products not produced locally to support the sector.
Additional Secretary, MoI, Kazi Shawkat Hossain, discussed the potential for investment in tannery solid waste management and related sectors. Referring to mandatory standards, he supported the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution’s (BSTI) proposal for the inclusion of certain products in the import policy.
Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman Patwary, Joint Secretary, Internal Resources Division (IRD), informed the meeting that the NBR is in the process of resolving the long-standing issue of the central/common bonded warehouse. A draft SRO has already been prepared and is expected to be approved soon.
Abul Kasem Khan, Chairperson of BUILD, emphasised that the costs and time delays associated with obtaining trade licences remain major barriers to entrepreneurship development in Bangladesh. He proposed that the government consider recognising bank accounts as an alternative to trade licences—a move that would not affect revenue generation but would significantly reduce procedural complexity.
The costs and time delays associated with obtaining trade licences remain significant barriers to entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Recognising bank accounts as an alternative would not affect revenue generation, but it would significantly reduce procedural complexity.
—BUILD Chairperson
Taskeen Ahmed, President, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), stressed the importance of export diversification, noting that exports from sectors beyond ready-made garments (RMG) are often under-recognised.
Kamran T. Rahman, President, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), called for stronger initiatives to increase the share of solar energy to help achieve the government’s green energy targets.
Syed Nasim Manzur, President of the Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB), urged the government to implement the new IPO without delay, noting that postponements were hindering business operations. He also requested that greater attention be given to sectors with high export potential and suggested that industry associations with proven capacity be allowed to issue UD/UP declarations.
Md Shaheen Ahmed, President, Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA), called upon the government to ensure the procurement of tannery solid waste through DTIEWTECL to improve environmental management in the sector.
High officials from the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), Public–Private Partnership Authority (PPPA), Finance Division, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division, Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Power Division, MoI, Bridges Division, Planning Division, NSDA, Department of Environment (DoE), Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh Bank, Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Foundation and BSTI participated in the discussions. Representatives from leading private sector organisations were also present at the meeting.