President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday urged young innovative people to come forward and engage in business and commerce.
He made the call when a 21-member delegation of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), led by its President Taskeen Ahmed, paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban.
Urging businesspeople to come forward to quickly develop alternative energy systems, the President said young entrepreneurs need to be more involved in the competition surrounding the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
He also stressed the need to lower bank interest rates to promote business and commerce.
Referring to low-interest bank loans during the tenure of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Mirza Fakhrul said such loans helped promote industrialisation and create new entrepreneurs in less-developed regions such as Rajshahi and northern Bangladesh.
New factories and business enterprises were established there, which was a landmark initiative, he said.
During the meeting, the DCCI delegation formally invited the President to attend the upcoming Bangladesh AI Business Summit 2026, to be organised by the chamber, as the chief guest.
The President accepted the invitation and assured them of his presence at the event.
The DCCI representatives said they are working to implement Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s plan to turn Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2034.
They expressed hope that by working shoulder to shoulder with the government, it will be possible to resolve the problems facing business and commerce within the next two years and move forward.
The DCCI delegation also apprised the President of their demands, problems and prospects.
Mirza Fakhrul further said people have repeatedly struggled, fought and sacrificed their lives for democracy in Bangladesh.
“But after achieving democracy, we failed to institutionalise it because political parties misused the benefits of democracy,” he said.
The President said the country lagged behind and business and commerce became stagnant due to the establishment of a system of plunder in the past.
Not only that, he said, the banking sector was destroyed because of personal greed and vested interests.
Mirza Fakhrul also urged businesspeople to become more involved in social development and welfare activities.
The President’s military secretary, secretary and press secretary were present during the meeting.
