The planning and education adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud on Saturday expressed hope that Bangladesh would see an elected government next year.
He made the comment at the Annual BIDS Conference on Development (ABCD) 2024, organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, on the day.
鈥楾his is my opinion, but I am not sure what will happen,鈥� he, however, clarified.
鈥楴o country can become a rich nation overnight. It requires collective efforts and long strategy. Our interim government is here for a short term,鈥� said Wahiduddin Mahmud, also a prominent economist.
鈥榃e are still trapped in the lower middle-income bracket, far from achieving what the Philippines has, let alone Malaysia,鈥� the adviser noted.
He mentioned that Vietnam鈥檚 per capita income in the 1990s was similar to Bangladesh鈥檚. Now, it鈥檚 per capita income is 40-50 times of Bangladesh. They secure $20 billion annually in foreign direct investment, while we attract just $2 billion.
鈥榃e lack substantial global economic integration and need significant advancements in education and technology,鈥� the interim government adviser added.
The interim government led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus was formed on August 8 following the fall of the authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5.
