A high-level review meeting on preparations for Bangladesh’s graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status was held on Wednesday, chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, at the CA’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka.
The meeting reviewed progress on 16 key decisions, with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) implementing four, the Ministry of Industries three, the Economic Relations Division two, the Ministry of Commerce three, and the Chief Adviser’s Office overseeing four.
NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan reported that the NBR is working to fully operationalise the National Single Window, with 19 agencies already integrated and more being added. He also briefed the chief adviser on the progress of implementing the Tariff Policy 2023.
Discussions covered providing necessary support and incentives to export sectors beyond ready-made garments, including duty-free benefits for raw materials and machinery imports in the man-made fiber industry. The meeting addressed the full-scale operation of the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at the tannery village in Savar, the full operationalisation of the API Park under construction in Gazaria, Munshiganj, and measures taken to update the 2022 Industrial Policy.
Yunus stated, “We have failed our leather industry by not valuing it properly. This sector should have economically benefited us, but that hasn’t happened.” He directed officials to organise a separate meeting to address the leather industry’s challenges and instructed scheduling another meeting within two months to outline actionable steps for LDC graduation.
Emphasising the need for reform, he said, “We must undertake these reforms for our own economic interests. Outdated policies and laws must be revised to pave the way forward.”
The meeting was attended by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Industry Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Shipping Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, Principal Secretary to the Chief Advisor M Siraj Uddin Mia, NBR Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan, Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur, and secretaries from various ministries.