Economists from home and abroad have lauded Bangladesh’s progress, calling it astonishing.
Published : 21 Jun 2014, 09:42 PM
They say a steady job growth through increased private investment is crucial to sustain this progress.
Saturday was the first day of a two-day conference organised by Bangladesh Economists Forum (BEF) in the capital’s Radisson Blu Hotel.
Organisers say the forum hopes to always actively participate in the country’s policymaking.
Sussex University Professor Michael Lipton, who presented the keynote paper in the opening ceremony, said Bangladesh had made astonishing achievements in economic and social development indicators.
The country has an enviable success in food production, he said.
In his paper, ‘Farming, food and fertility: Why has Bangladesh done better than expected? Can it continue to do so?’, the economist said since 1990, the country had achieved not only growth but also a reduced gender and income gap, improvements in health, nutrition and education.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his chief guest’s address echoed Lipton, saying Bangladesh was a “land of impossible attainment”.
“When Bangladesh was born, people said a lot of things. Some called us a bottomless basket. But we were ready. We have shown them how to overcome a lot of hurdles and barriers,” he said.