Dhaka: Speakers at a forum here today underscored the need for ensuring a strong investment performance, accountability mechanism, clarity in priorities, and coherence in policy direction alongside generating more employments and to prudently deal with the issue of poverty in the next national budget for FY26. The speakers came up with such emphasis while addressing a multi-stakeholder forum on ‘Bangladesh Economy 2025-26: Policy Reforms and National Budget’ held at a hotel in the capital.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Dr. Anisuzzaman Chowdhury and BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury spoke as special guests while Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya made the keynote presentation. Other notable speakers included Senior Research Fellow of CPD Towfiqul Islam Khan, Executive Director of SANEM Dr. Selim Raihan, former Lead Economist of World Bank Dr. Zahid Hussain, Vice Chancellor of IUB Dr. M Tamim, and Director General of BIDS Dr. AK Enamul Haque.
Anisuzzaman Chowdhury reflected on Bangladesh’s progress since independence, highlighting that the country is no longer seen as a “bottomless basket.” Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury emphasized the importance of attracting more investment, stating that no country can prosper without it. He advocated for private sector investments to generate more employment.
Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, in his keynote address, stressed the need for a strong investment performance to transition from stability to growth. He suggested consensus-building and maintaining public discipline and security as essential actions for economic comfort.
Dr. Zahid Hossain discussed the interim government’s efforts to restore regulations in the banking sector and initiatives to recover laundered money. He acknowledged progress but indicated that the banking crisis is not entirely over. World Bank Country Director (Interim) Gayle Martin pointed out variations in budgetary expenditure and suggested revisiting the project implementation mechanism.
CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr. Mustafizur Rahman and RAPID Executive Director Prof. Abu Eusuf both highlighted the importance of reclaiming laundered money and rationalizing tax exemptions. BUILD CEO Ferdous Ara Begum emphasized enhancing institutional capacity to meet international standards.
Dr. Enamul Haque of BIDS stressed that quality should take precedence over expenditure in budgetary matters, citing concerns about low GDP growth. Dr. Selim Raihan expressed hope for clarity on reform initiatives from the interim government and political parties, while Dr. M Tamim called for preparations to address power and energy demands for FY30.