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Bangladesh Investment Development Authority executive chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun has said Chattogram, due to its huge potential, remains at the center point of interim government’s vision to turn Bangladesh into a global manufacturing hub.

He was speaking at a meeting of views exchange with trade body leaders, investors, members of the civil society, political leaders and academics at a hotel in Chattogram on Thursday.

‘Bangladesh’s desired economic progress lies on how we transform vision into reality by the year 2035,’ he said.

‘We have to have best managed ports in global stage by engaging well-reputed port operators from across the globe to handle the existing and proposed ports facilities surrounding Chattogram region apart from enhancing the capacities and efficiencies of Chattogram Port up to international standard,’ he said.

BIDA executive chairman apprised the participants of government’s long term vision centering the country’s port and shipping sectors. He also took their opinions regarding existing bottlenecks and pragmatic ways of its execution.

Chowdhury Ashik, who is also the executive chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority earlier visited existing and proposed key port facilities including Bay Terminal at Laldia Char, Patenga Container Terminal and Chattogram Container Terminal.

The BIDA executive chairman along with high officials is paying the visit to see himself the existing economic potentials and state of the key port installations ahead of first ever visit of chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the port city on May 14 after assuming power.

Chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam, Chattogram Port Authority chairman Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder accompanied the BIDA executive chairman.

Former CCCI president and BNP city unit president Alhaj Ershad Ullah, Jamaat city unit Ameer and former lawmaker Alhaj Shah Jahan Chowdhury, former CCCI president Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of CUET Professor M A Matin, industrialist Alhaj Khalilur Rahman, Almeir Alihussain, Mizanur Rahman, MCCI President Mahbub Ali, trade body leader Habibur Rahman and NCP central joint convener Shagupta Bushra Mishma took part in the discussion.

Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud said that the government has decided to go ahead with the ambitious long term vision centering Chattogram due to its strategically advantageous location and want to extract maximum the region’s inherent potentials for propelling the country’s economy.

‘Our concept is loud and clear, if Chattogram fails or we cannot utilize its key economic benefits, Bangladesh will ultimately fall behind from the global economic race,’ he said urging local investors, entrepreneurs and political leaders to extend their hands for changing the fate of the country’s huge population.

He said it was rare in the global population demography that we have a population where average age of it’s half is under 25 and 45% of total voters expected to cast their vote in next general election are fresh voter. 

‘We must create jobs and room for earnings for the huge young force, otherwise, they may go in wrong directions,’ he said emphasizing that there must be an approach in our economic landscape to address and absorb properly the expectation and behavioral pattern of 3.5 crore middle class. 

Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud said the government is positively working to establish a Free Trade Zone to linking it with global connectivity to foster the industrial production and export by inviting globally leading entrepreneurs and industrial conglomerates.

‘We already earmarked a number of prospective places for the Zone in Chattogram. It will also have significant impact on attracting FDI,’ he said adding that ‘There will be no alternative to create conducive atmosphere for foreign investors to reach the goal to ensure multi-billion dollars FDI and generate huge jobs for our young workforce.

‘Global investors want to see a dynamic and efficient port facilities here as elsewhere around the developed and developing countries to export their goods within a standard time. Our vision is to go to have it as core pre-requisition,’ he said.

BIDA executive Chairman said target has been set to handle 7.8 million TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units) of containers annually by the year 2030 by making operational all the container handling facilities including Matarbari Deep Sea port with globally reputed port operators.

‘During the engagement process of foreign operators, we must protect the country’s interest and rights and welfare of local workforce’ he noted.

Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud said we are still far behind compare to the regional economic players in port capacity and efficiency as Chattogram port is ranked at 339 globally as per a World Bank index.

In this context, he mentioned that Sri Lanka has 7 ports, Vietnam has 44 ports having capacity of handling 47 million TEUs while Cambodia has 26 ports.

During inaugural brief, Press Secretary to the CA Shafiqul Alam said present interim government’s core aim is to bring multi-billion dollar FDI along with generation of huge job by turning the Bangladesh into a global factory.

‘The country has never seen such a pro-business and pro-investment friendly head of state like Prof. Muhammad Yunus in the past’, he said adding that the CA had efficiently persuaded the economic diplomacy during his all foreign tours including those ones in New York, DAVOR and Qatar.

‘We want to build and enhance the capacity of our ports not for local use, rather those facilities will be for 40 crore people of this region’ he said.