Wheels of economy are turning: Mannan

Planning Minister MA Mannan yesterday said the wheels of the country’s economy are turning towards prosperity, and the per capita income is also increasing fast.

He was addressing a regional conference on the role of the microfinance institutions towards attaining the SDGs, held at the Chattogram Officers Club.

Mentioning that multilateral and bilateral lending agencies like the World Bank, ADB, IMF, Jica and China want to lend billions of dollars in credit to Bangladesh, he said the government would take loans if there is any necessity.

“But, using the word ‘donor’ is disrespectful for us and we don’t like this,” he added.

Claiming that thousands of people are now roaming around the capital with their briefcases to lend money to Bangladesh, Mannan said only one percent capital of the microcredit institutions come from the donor fund.

“So, why there is so much talk about this? Even if the fund becomes insufficient, there is nothing to worry,” he added.

The minister said Bangladesh used to get a lot of donations from abroad in the early 1970s. “We gracefully accepted those... but time has changed. If anyone extends their hands of cooperation, then we will reciprocate the same gesture.”

Chaired by Brac senior adviser and former principal secretary to the prime minister M Abdul Karim, the event was addressed, among others, by former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman; Microcredit Regulatory Authority executive vice chairman Amolendu Mukherjee; chief executive of Momata Rafique Ahamad; chief adviser of Antar Society for Development Emranul Haque Chowdhury; YPSA chief executive Arifur Rahman and PAGE Development Center executive director Lokman Hakim.

Inclusive Finance and Development (InM) executive director Dr Mustafa Kamal Mujeri presented the keynote paper.