Tarique hears business concerns, targets end to bottlenecks in 24 months

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has set a two-year deadline to eliminate key bottlenecks hindering investment and ease of doing business in Bangladesh, signalling an aggressive push to revitalise the country’s economic climate.

The directive came during a meeting of the Private Sector Advisory Council that features top business leaders at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Saturday, where longstanding challenges – ranging from tax complexities and high interest rates to port clearance delays – were brought to the forefront.

The government has decided to activate the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) to implement a comprehensive roadmap aimed at delivering tangible improvements within the next two years.

Chaired by the prime minister, the council will include the finance, commerce, and power ministers, along with the executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and nine leading industrialists from the manufacturing sector.

Business leaders used the platform to push for strategies to boost exports and reduce import dependence, with a particular focus on high-potential sectors such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), automobiles, semiconductors, agro-processing and light engineering.

During the meeting, the prime minister issued on-the-spot directives to relevant ministries to resolve several pressing issues, while others were earmarked for phased implementation under the new roadmap.

Officials said the council will meet every three months to track progress, marking what many see as the beginning of a more structured and results-driven engagement between the government and the private sector.