Tarique pledges investment support to revive closed, unprofitable factories

"Let us work together to bring about change," he says to global investors

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has assured local and international entrepreneurs of government support for investments aimed at reviving closed and unprofitable factories in Bangladesh.

The assurance came at a “roadshow” held at the prime minister’s Tejgaon office on Saturday, according to Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Industries, the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).

"We want you to step forward and flourish. We will support you," Shiplu quoted the prime minister while telling the investors.

The event showcased detailed information on 44 factories, including their locations, existing infrastructure, investment opportunities, ease of communication, and expansion potential, to attract both domestic and foreign investors.

Shiplu said business leaders and entrepreneurs openly shared their views with the prime minister during the event.

Among Bangladeshi business groups present were representatives from PRAN-RFL, ACI Limited, Walton, Meghna Group, Runner Group, TK Group, Square Group, Transcom Group, Akij Group, Nabil Group, Lal Teer, and BRAC, among others.

Foreign participants included representatives from Japan’s Marubeni Corporation, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, MUFG Bank, Mitsui & Co (Asia Pacific), Sojitz Asia, JETRO Bangladesh, and the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka.

Addressing entrepreneurs, the prime minister said the government’s main responsibility is to remove barriers and create an enabling environment for business.

“I have said before that we want you to move forward and we want to support you. You have raised various issues and given suggestions on how to provide support within a short time. We have already started working on some of them,” he said.

He added that while solving all problems at once is not possible, gradual and phased improvements are being pursued.

“I request you to cooperate with us so that we can improve the situation and move forward together,” he said.

“Let us work together to bring change. There are problems and challenges, but if we all work together, we can overcome them,” he added.