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Published : 06 Dec 2025, 12:03 AM
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said if elected, a BNP government will introduce a new economic and financing model to create 10 million jobs within 18 months, reducing dependence on lenders such as the World Bank and the IMF.
Speaking at a National Youth Policy Dialogue on Friday, he said the party has already completed “detailed homework” on how to finance its plans.
“Our economic model will change, and our financing model will also change. We will not be running after the IMF for four billion dollars, I can assure you,” he said.
Bangladesh signed a $4.7 billion loan programme with the IMF in 2022 to tackle its financial crisis, later revised to $5.5 billion. The IMF has so far released five instalments, with the sixth expected to be finalised after discussions with an elected government.
Khosru said detailed measures to strengthen the capital market have already been prepared.
He claimed that Bangladeshis working in major global institutions, including on Wall Street and at Goldman Sachs, were connected to the initiative, adding: “We will bring billions of dollars into our capital market, if God wills.”
On BNP’s pledge to create 10 million jobs within 18 months, he said the plan has already broken down by sector.
“Many people do not believe this, and understandably so. But we are making this commitment by sectors: how many jobs will be created first, how many self-employment opportunities, how many overseas jobs. We have mapped out the segments and identified the investment required.”
When the programme was called “ambitious”, he said ambition was essential for national progress. He pointed to macroeconomic stability and GDP growth trends during BNP’s previous tenure.
“When we last left government, GDP growth was 7.06 percent, and the curve was upward. Had that continued, Bangladesh would be growing in double digits now.”
He also credited BNP governments with liberalisation that boosted the ready-made garments sector and with facilitating large-scale labour migration during the Ziaur Rahman administration.
“We are not saying we fulfilled every promise. But whatever we managed to achieve delivered dividends for Bangladesh, economically and for democracy,” he said.
Describing Bangladesh as “over-regulated”, he criticised barriers faced by freelancers, including payment restrictions and registration requirements, saying they will allow the launch of PayPal in Bangladesh,
He also pledged to remove restrictions on repatriating profits.
“If I earn money, why should I face obstacles in taking it abroad? The same applies to foreign investors. They say they cannot repatriate their earnings easily.”
“Without addressing this, investment cannot grow, not domestic, not foreign. That is why deregulation will be one of our biggest programmes,” he said.
