Dhaka: Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), the apex investment promotion agency of the Government of Bangladesh, has undertaken a major internal reform to restructure its organization in alignment with the investor lifecycle. The restructuring is aimed at ensuring proactive investor service, clearer roles and responsibilities, measurable key performance indicators (KPIs), and more streamlined services, said a press release issued today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, this reform is a key component of the broader 32-point investment climate reform agenda aimed at enhancing Bangladesh's competitiveness as a destination for foreign and domestic investment. As part of the reform, BIDA has introduced dedicated wings that correspond directly to the different stages of the investor lifecycle: Investment Promotion for attraction and entry; Research and Policy for policy support and advocacy; Operations for investor onboarding, expansion, and retention; Digital Development for modernization of the investment service ecosystem. Additionally, the Administration Wing will continue to support cross-cutting institutional deliverables.
BIDA's Executive Chairman, Ashik Chowdhury, emphasized that BIDA will evolve in form and function to meet the demands of a dynamic investment landscape. He stated that as a specialized agency, BIDA must go beyond traditional administrative models and reflect the responsiveness required to serve today's investors. This reform has been a long-standing recommendation from local and foreign stakeholders, to which BIDA is finally responding.
Under the new structure, several significant changes have been introduced. Private sector professionals and BIDA's own officials can now become BIDA Executive Members, a role that was previously reserved for admin cadre. There are also dedicated branches for Research and Policy and Investment Promotion, as well as a specialized desk to support diaspora investors. Additionally, the recruitment of sector specialists and relationship managers aims to help investors navigate the regulatory landscape.
In parallel, a high-powered national committee formed by the government is working on finalizing a roadmap to integrate all Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs). This approach is intended to eliminate the fragmentation of resources and services and replace it with an investor-friendly system under a single institutional roof. BIDA has already begun rolling out its new structure and expects to publish comprehensive details on its website in the coming month.