The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has pledged to generate 10 million jobs within the first 18 months of taking office, should it win the upcoming national election, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced Thursday.
In a Facebook post titled “$1 Trillion Economy,” Mirza Fakhrul outlined BNP’s ambitious economic vision, stating that the party would prioritize massive employment generation and foreign direct investment (FDI) if elected. He claimed the party aims to increase FDI from 0.45% of GDP to 2.5%, targeting a GDP of $1 trillion by 2034.
The BNP leader emphasized that the party would implement tax reforms to ease the burden on citizens, remove fear associated with taxation, and expand the revenue base in a more citizen-friendly manner.
To attract foreign investment, the BNP has proposed 11 regulatory reforms, eight of which were detailed in the post. These include strengthening the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), modernizing visa and work permit rules, offering 24/7 investor services, facilitating automatic profit repatriation, developing skilled local manpower, enacting investor protection laws, upgrading infrastructure, and enhancing human resource capabilities through quality training and incentives.
Mirza Fakhrul further stated that, under a BNP government, Bangladesh would see a significant boost in overseas employment through improved training programs and effective incentive mechanisms.
Quoting acting party chairman Tarique Rahman, Fakhrul highlighted three key principles from a recent investment summit: “Unity is the foundation of national development,” “It was President Ziaur Rahman’s government that laid the legal groundwork to attract FDI,” and “The administrations of Begum Khaleda Zia maintained investor-friendly policies.”
Liberty News’ political correspondent states that the BNP’s economic roadmap, Fakhrul asserted, builds on its legacy of liberal economic policies and aims to steer the nation toward inclusive growth, global competitiveness, and sustainable development.
LND/BG
