The “Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025” has marked a significant milestone in attracting foreign investment to the country. At a press briefing held Sunday (13 April 2025) at the Foreign Service Academy, the remarkable success of this summit was highlighted by the Hon’ble Executive Chairman (State Minister) of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), Mr. Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun.
He stated that the international summit, held from 7–10 April at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka, saw the participation of 710 attendees at the opening ceremony, including 415 foreign delegates from 50 countries and 295 Bangladeshi representatives. Throughout the four-day event, nearly 3,500 participants engaged in breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, and various other programs.
A total of 130 experienced panelists contributed to the summit, offering valuable insights on investment opportunities, policy support, and innovative strategies through sessions like “Startup Connect” and other breakout forums. He expressed sincere gratitude to the summit partners—European Union, UNDP, Citi NA, HSBC, BGMEA, Dutch Embassy, LightCastle Partners, Inspira Management Consulting, SAJIDA Foundation, and EBL—for their unwavering support.
Highlighting the high level of investor interest, he said, “Throughout the summit, numerous local and foreign investors crowded the corridors of InterContinental Dhaka for informal discussions. In addition, around 150 official bilateral meetings were conducted.”
Expressing optimism about the active presence of top-level government representatives, he remarked, “The involvement of the Commerce Advisor, the Chief Advisor’s Special Envoy, the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue, and other senior officials added immense value and significance to the summit.”
He noted that two major investments worth a total of BDT 3,100 crore were officially announced at the summit—by Handa Industry and ShopUp.
Additionally, six significant international Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed, which are expected to accelerate Bangladesh’s economic growth:
- Bangladesh’s inclusion in the NASA Artemis Accords,
- Power Purchase Agreement between Pran and H&M Group (with IFC financing),
- Tripartite agreement among ILO, UNDP, and BIDA on responsible investment and improved work environments,
- Renewable energy cooperation between Solar Power Europe and BSREA,
- Bangladesh-Netherlands Seed Partnership (between Seed Netherlands and Bangladesh Seed Association),
- Greenhouse Impact Clusters collaboration between Dutch Greenhouse Delta and ACI.
Regarding the summit’s expenditure, he stated that the total cost of organizing the summit was only BDT 1.45 crore—42% less than the approved budget.
At the conclusion of the press briefing, he sincerely thanked the summit’s event partner Integrated Marketing Services Ltd., marketing and communications partner High Voltage Ltd., and core event partners World Bank, FICCI, and UNDP—without whose support this successful event would not have been possible.
He also extended heartfelt thanks to all government and private media houses, television channels, daily newspapers, online news portals, and esteemed journalists from the print and electronic media for their critical role in promoting and publicizing the summit. Their tireless efforts helped deliver the summit’s message across the globe, significantly enhancing investor interest and participation.
