Investment summit begins today

The International Investment Summit, which begins today, will see a new Bangladesh, said Salman F Rahman, private industry and investment affairs adviser to the prime minister.

The government has not set any investment target like an exposition, but the summit will help in highlighting the changes Bangladesh will gain during the tenure of the present government, he said yesterday.

He spoke at a press briefing on the summit at the conference room of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) in the capital's Agargaon.

The Bida is organising the two-day investment summit at the Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden with the sponsorship of the International Finance Corporation.

The international community sees Bangladesh as a poor and disaster-prone country, said the adviser.

"But they do not have any idea about the new Bangladesh, which has grown significantly under the present government."

In the last 12 years, Bangladesh has achieved unprecedented growth, as its gross domestic product has reached over $300 billion from only $80 billion, he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will virtually inaugurate the summit, which will be joined by around 2,574 people from 54 countries. Of them, 465 are foreigners and the rest 2,109 Bangladeshi.

Some deals will be signed at the summit, Md Sirazul Islam, executive chairman of the Bida, said at the press briefing.

He said the investment promotion agency had selected 11 promising sectors, for which it would seek investment.

All guests have already reached Dhaka and the rest will take part virtually, he said.

Some high-level participants have also sent video messages to the Bida, Islam said.