Why invest in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is committed to ensuring a sustained conducive business climate. It offers a competitive location for doing business in terms of costs, inputs, human resources, market access and facilitations. Investing in the appropriate sectors in Bangladesh would yield higher returns than any other competing location, with smaller risks.

Bangladesh has a large supply of relatively industrious low cost labor, including professionals, technologists and middle and low-level skilled personnel. Procedures for online registration for investors have been introduced and regulatory reforms counseling is an ongoing process. The costs of doing business in Bangladesh are lower. The robust economic growth achieved in Bangladesh (6 percent) has resulted from investment-friendly policy and an improved investment climate in the recent years.

The present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to providing further encouragement to investors to achieve her “Vision 2021” goals. The Board of Investment, which was established in 1989 and functions directly under the Prime Minister’s Office is working toward this.

Key sectors Information and communication technology, infrastructures, textiles, electronics, light engineering, power and gas, shipbuilding, business process outsourcing, frozen fish, leather goods, ceramics, agricultural industries, pharmaceuticals, tourism, plastic, furniture, home textiles and jute

Key Opportunities

Quality garment design and production: From spinning to weaving, from knitwear to leisurewear and high street fashions, the textiles and clothing industry is Bangladesh’s biggest export earner with over $16 billion of exports in 2011. The factories design and produce for the world’s leading brands and retailers, creating quality, reliable products on time.

Talented ICT and business services: From inbound call centers to the latest in Web 2.0 software development, widespread English helps make Bangladesh an emerging option for global outsourcing of business services. The promising ICT sector is ready to win any opportunities.

Competitive pharmaceuticals: The WTO TRIPS agreement permits Bangladesh to reverse-engineer patented generics to sell locally, and export to markets around the world. This has created a strong manufacturing and technically experienced base with growth of 12 percent a year and a potential for R&D and clinical trails.

Agricultural processing: More than 90 varieties of vegetables are grown in Bangladesh. There are huge opportunities for investment in cold storage for export produce, vegetable preservation, production of fertilizers and seeds, eco-friendly jute products, shrimp farming, halal foods, milk and value-added foods for export.

Leather products: Bangladesh has a mature tanning industry, producing 2-3 percent of the world’s leather from a ready supply of raw materials. The finished goods sector is also developing in parallel with this. With good export incentives plus tariff and quota free access to major markets such as the EU, Bangladesh is an unrivaled location to outsource the manufacture of finished leather products. Soon Bangladesh will emerge as a major exporter of footwear.