UK firms keen on developing railway
A trade delegation of nine British rail companies, led by Rushanara Ali MP, UK prime minister's trade envoy for Bangladesh, yesterday began a week-long tour of Bangladesh to showcase UK expertise in the rail sector.
The companies accompanying the envoy on her second visit to Bangladesh in less than a year are specialists in the full spectrum of the rail supply chain from consultancy, systems design, rolling stock, and operations, according to British High Commission in Dhaka.
The group is eager to look into areas where British expertise can help assist with existing transport initiatives.
Rushanara Ali also announced that UK export finance support available for UK trade with Bangladesh has increased from £150 million to £625 million, an increase of over 400 percent.
This means an additional nearly £500 million capacity to help UK exporters, and their buyers in Bangladesh get access to the best quality British goods and services.
She will visit the Dhaka Metro rail site and attend a special British-Bangladesh rail collaboration seminar. She will also meet the Bangladesh ministers of commerce, communication, railways and finance.
Yesterday, during a meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, Rushanara assured that the aids and investments from the UK will certainly increase in this backdrop.
Rushanara and her delegation also expressed keen interest to invest in the development of railway sector including strong railway infrastructure.
She also offered to avail lucrative export credits from the British companies to implement the upcoming mega projects. British High Commissioner Alison Blake also accompanied the delegation during the meeting.
Rushanara will also travel to Sylhet, the district her family comes from, to visit actual and potential areas of investment. She will also see some of the UKAID supported programmes.
Earlier, on her arrival in Dhaka on Saturday, Rushanara said Britain is keen to expand trade with Bangladesh, offering expertise and technology that will help the country move closer to its middle income aspiration.
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