Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday presented Bangladesh as a competitive, stable and ethical economy to foreign investors, urging international partners to invest in the country’s future.
Speaking at the “Roadmap for Trade, Growth and Economic Diplomacy 2026” conference in Dhaka, the minister said the newly proposed budget would seek to make small farmers and small businesses drivers of growth and economic resilience.
“We are presenting a competitive, stable and ethical Bangladesh to you. Invest in our dream, believe us, you won’t regret it,” he told the audience.
The day-long conference, jointly organised by the foreign ministry and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), drew representatives from the World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, IMF, foreign missions, multinational companies and leading business bodies.
Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, the president-elect of the 81st UN General Assembly, opened the event and outlined Bangladesh’s future-oriented economic diplomacy roadmap.
Fakhrul said the government had inherited an economy in which democratic and economic institutions had been weakened. The aim now, he said, was to harness the country’s potential to build inclusive growth, with farmers, workers and expatriates as the backbone of a strong domestic market.
He said the government would strengthen local government structures to deliver services and good governance to people’s doorsteps and use technology, efficiency, networks and opportunities to empower the population further.
Addressing foreign investors directly, the local government and rural development minister said Bangladesh’s policy and institutional reforms would create opportunities for them to participate in practical, market-oriented initiatives using their capital, experience and networks.
“Bangladesh is committed to a rules-based international system. We expect the global community to properly value our talent, labour, capability and potential,” he said. “The whole world is our workplace. We’re looking for friends who want to move forward with Bangladesh.”
The conference was organised around three sessions covering economic diplomacy, market expansion and LDC graduation; finance reform and capital-market development; and AI, the creative economy and sports as new areas of future growth. BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun detailed investment potential, ongoing reforms and opportunities for international partners.
Partner Engagement Notes have been solicited from participants. Based on those proposals, the foreign ministry’s International Trade, Investment and Technology wing and BIDA will organise a series of closed-door roundtable meetings in the coming months.