The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Swisscontact on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding at BIDA鈥檚 Conference Hall in the city, marking a new chapter of collaboration to strengthen Bangladesh鈥檚 investment ecosystem and promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
The MoU was signed to advance coordinated efforts between the government and development partners to create an enabling business environment, enhance institutional capacity, and attract both domestic and foreign investments across key priority sectors, said a press release.
Over the years, BIDA has been leading national initiatives to improve Bangladesh鈥檚 investment climate through regulatory reforms, digitization, and inter-agency coordination.
Recognising the importance of regional competitiveness, Swisscontact had earlier partnered with BIDA under one of its flagship projects (July 2023-December 2024) to enhance the business environment and competitiveness in secondary cities across the country.
Building on that success, BIDA and Swisscontact are now joining hands to design a new, forward-looking initiative aimed at improving the overall investment climate nationwide, guided by BIDA鈥檚 investment heat map and reform agenda.
The MoU underscores BIDA鈥檚 ongoing transformation towards an 鈥榠nvestor-first鈥� model-anchored in data-driven decision-making, institutional coordination, and globally competitive standards.
Swisscontact, a global organisation promoting sustainable private sector development, has been working extensively in Bangladesh to strengthen institutional capacity and trade competitiveness. The organisation aims to facilitate policy improvements that attract more quality Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and generate large-scale employment, particularly for youth and women.
Speaking on the occasion, BIDA Executive Chairman (State Minister) Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun said that partnerships like this reflect Bangladesh鈥檚 commitment to building a globally competitive and inclusive investment ecosystem.
鈥極ur goal is to ensure that investors-local and international-experience Bangladesh as a seamless, efficient, and opportunity-rich destination,鈥� he said.
The partnership between BIDA and Swisscontact will focus on evidence-driven investment climate diagnostics and coordination, strengthening BIDA as a globally competitive Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) and sector-specific investment promotion and backward linkage development.
Both organisations expressed optimism that this collaboration will help attract quality investments, foster innovation, and drive sustainable industrial growth across the country.