STAR BUSINESS REPORT

Bangladesh has an attractive economic sector for investment, US Ambassador Peter Haas said yesterday.

Bangladesh has an investment-friendly environment along with demographic dividend and skilled manpower, the ambassador said, adding that he will inform the US businesses about the investment opportunities the country has.

He also spoke highly of the south Asian country’s economic progress and capabilities.

Haas made the comments in a meeting with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal at the latter’s office in the secretariat.

The envoy also assured that the United States would stand by Bangladesh in its development efforts. He also lauded the steps, including the vaccination programme, taken by the Bangladesh government to address the health and socio-economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the meeting, Kamal said the diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the United States have expanded to various fields, including trade and commerce.

He said Bangladesh is no longer a “development miracle”. The country is now a “role model of development” for others, Kamal said.

He said Bangladesh is currently 41st in the world in terms of the size of the economy which was 60th in 2006. “After independence, it took 38 years for our economy to reach $100 billion in GDP [gross domestic product], but in the last 12 years, it has quadrupled to $411 billion.”