Port reforms key to Bangladesh's trade future, says BIDA chairman
He made the remarks on June 13 while presenting a paper at the conference, Roadmap for Trade, Growth and Economic Diplomacy 2026 – Navigating Risks: Leveraging Resilience, held in Dhaka. The event was jointly organized by the International Trade, Investment and Technology Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and BIDA.
Ashik highlighted the need for major improvements in Bangladesh's port and logistics infrastructure. Referring to the latest global container port performance ranking by the World Bank, Bangladesh ranked 364th among 400 ports worldwide.
“This tells us our work is cut out, and we are a very proud nation,” he said.
The ranking reflects the challenges Bangladesh faces in a rapidly changing global economy. To remain competitive, the country must improve logistics performance and adapt to evolving trade requirements.
Addressing concerns from the business community, investors often identify gas shortages, logistics bottlenecks, and excessive regulations as major barriers to investment and industrial growth.
The government is pursuing a broad reform agenda to address these issues. He also described the proposed FY2026-27 national budget as one of the most investor-friendly budgets in recent years, with a strong emphasis on deregulation and business facilitation.
On the energy front, Ashik emphasized that a reliable and uninterrupted power supply remains a critical requirement for investors, particularly in manufacturing industries.
To strengthen energy security, the government plans to expand renewable energy generation by allocating unused public land for large-scale solar projects and simplifying rooftop solar installation policies.
He also stressed the importance of diversifying Bangladesh's energy sources. A dedicated government team is currently working on long-term solutions for the oil and gas sector.
Bangladesh is lagging five to ten years behind in energy infrastructure development. To address this gap, priority is being given to projects such as additional floating storage and regasification unit capacity, a land-based LNG terminal, and the expansion of the second unit of Eastern Refinery Limited.
