Bangladesh seeks greater ties with Gulf

Dubai: The Bangladesh government plans to set up a permanent trade and display centre in Dubai to enhance trade with the UAE, which last year reached Dh1.28 billion ($350 million), a top official said.

"We are looking more at a public-private sector partnership in facilitating this [trade and display centre] and I have already received enthusiastic responses from the business community here," Lt. Colonel Mohammad Farooq Khan, Bangladesh's new Commerce Minister, told Gulf News.

"We have historically looked at the Middle East as a destination for manpower exports. This is changing. We are now looking at the Gulf more as a trading partner."

Khan, a close associate of Bangladesh Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina, is in Dubai on an official visit. On Thursday, he held talks with Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, on expanding the scope of bilateral relations.

"We had fruitful discussions with Shaikha Lubna, who expressed her intention to expand the scope of cooperation. She has accepted my invitation to visit Bangladesh," Khan said.

"As we are moving towards a digital Bangladesh and formulating policies and guidelines on e-commerce and e-government, her expertise in e-commerce would help us to move forward."

Bangladesh has announced that all government services, procurements and tenders will be floated online in a few years to reduce corruption and improve transparency.

The 80-day-old Bangladesh government is reviewing the country's policies to help fast-track foreign investment.

"In order to facilitate e-services to build a digital Bangladesh, we are going to launch tenders for major power projects, totalling 5,000 megawatts to be completed in five years as per our pre-election pledge," Khan said.

Three 450-megawatt power projects are going to be tendered in the next few months.

A four-lane express highway connecting Dhaka, the country's political capital, with Chittagong, the commercial centre, will be launched soon.

"We are going to let the private sector participate in these projects. Any qualified companies could bid for these projects," Khan said. "We are open to the UAE's participation in these development works."

Bangladesh has already ordered the construction of the largest bridge over the Padma (the Ganges is known as the Padma in Bangladesh) bridge, to be completed in four years.

On trade with India, Khan said steps are being to facilitate cross-border trade transit for goods destined for northeastern landlocked states.

"We have renewed an Indo-Bangladesh trade agreement for three years that will help the economies of both countries.

"We are looking at all options from land to land to land and marine options using some of our ports and transport goods to the borders," Khan added

Bangladesh is taking a regional approach to enhancing cooperation. It is surrounded by India on three sides, and the rest faces the Bay of Bengal.

"To act regionally, we need to think regionally, first. All seven governments in South Asia are democratic now. I can see windows of opportunities," Khan said. "Trade has historically been used as a tool for politics. We want to change that for a tool for opportunity.

A South Asian power grid is also under consideration.