JAGARAN CHAKMA

A decade after introducing the government-to-government (G2G) economic zone model to attract foreign investment in Bangladesh through bilateral partnerships, the overall progress now looks uneven.

While the Japanese zone is edging towards operational readiness, hampered but not halted by bureaucracy, the Chinese Special Economic Zone is just at the land lease agreement stage.

By contrast, the two Indian economic zones in Mongla and Mirsharai have been scrapped by the government.

To formalise scattered factories into designated industrial hubs, the previous government took the initiative to build as many as 100 economic zones across the country. The plan was to draw investors through preferential treatment and improved facilities.

In fiscal year 2014-15, the authorities also launched G2G economic zone partnerships with major trading partners.

Officials then estimated that the 100 public and private economic zones would generate 1 crore jobs and $40 billion in exports.

But after the political changeover in August last year, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) has narrowed its focus to just five zones, prioritising quality and readiness over just the number of zones.

In G2G zones, investors from any country can invest, though entrepreneurs from the partner nation are usually given priority. Yet, officials and analysts say the model is struggling with fragmented coordination, sluggish utility delivery, and a reliance on political