Dhaka: Bangladesh has received investment proposals amounting to $1.25 billion in the first half of this year, spanning from January to June. This information was unveiled at the 5th meeting of the Investment Coordination Committee held at the Chief Adviser's Office, chaired by Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs, Lutfey Siddiqi. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the meeting saw the presence of Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur and National Board of Revenue Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan. The investment proposals include $465 million in foreign investment, $700 million in local investment, and $85 million in joint venture investment. Notably, Chinese firms have submitted the largest foreign investment proposals, totaling nearly $330 million. Representatives from the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) highlighted that significant investment proposals also came from institutions based in Singapore, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. Of the total $1 .25 billion proposals, $231 million has reached the final stage, with a conversion rate of about 18 percent, aligning with the global average of 15-20 percent. The meeting also addressed container congestion at Chattogram Port, where approximately 6,500 containers have been idle for a long time. The Chattogram Port Authority reported initiatives taken to ease congestion, including the auctioning of 1,000 containers over the past two months. Lutfey Siddiqi instructed authorities to enhance the efficiency of the auction process. Port officials announced that another 500 containers would be auctioned next month, with ongoing efforts to hand over goods from completed auctions. Additionally, the meeting discussed progress on the Bangladesh Business Portal (BBP), an integrated online platform combining services of BIDA, BEZA, BEPZA, and BSCIC. Officials expect a soft launch in the first week of September, with full operation anticipated by the end of the month. The meeting was attended by senior officials from t he Ministry of Commerce, Chattogram Port Authority, Chattogram Customs House, and various public and private organizations.
