Unfinished highways a hurdle to economic dreams
Across the road from Dhaka airport, workers in bright yellow hardhats walk past rusting steel beams that show both the promise and risks facing Bangladesh’s economy.
The piles of metal are meant to be the building blocks of the country’s biggest public-private venture — a 20-kilometer (13-mile) elevated road that will allow cargo trucks to bypass the capital’s crowded intersections. It will connect with a highway, now being widened to four lanes, to the main port of Chittagong. Plans are underway for another expressway running parallel that will slash the travel time to two hours from eight.
When completed, the three projects would allow companies to quickly ferry goods along a 250-kilometer route that carries 90 percent of Bangladesh’s exports. Prime Minister Sheikh
Workshop for new women entrepreneurs at AIBL
A day-long training for new women entrepreneurs was held at Al-Arafah Islami Bank Chittagong Zone recently.
Executive Vice President and Head of AIBL Chittagong Zone Md. Mujibul Quader inaugurated the Workshop as Chief Guest.
Senior Principal Officer of SME Division of the Bank Sheikh Asadul Haque was present as chief speaker. Women entrepreneurs form 15 branches under Chittagong Zone participated in the workshop.
Executive Vice President and Head of AIBL Chittagong Zone Md. Mujibul Quader inaugurated the Workshop as Chief Guest.
Senior Principal Officer of SME Division of the Bank Sheikh Asadul Haque was present as chief speaker. Women entrepreneurs form 15 branches under Chittagong Zone participated in the workshop.
Helping climate refugees: A dispatch from Bangladesh
I spent the past week in Bangladesh, visiting the countryside on a fascinating and heartening trip from the country’s massive capital, Dhaka, to the south, a region being hammered by climate change. I came to give some speeches and took the opportunity to see for myself how foreign aid and local sweat and equity are being used to fight the rising seas in a country so low that 30 million people may become refugees. For them to secure a livelihood in their home places, the developed countries need to be engaged, with our resources, our hands, and our minds. We simply cannot afford not to be here.
After being asked for years to come, I’d finally made the trip to attend the 2nd annual Gobeshona conference, a gathering of researchers seeking to understand the reality and best p...
Concerns mount as govt plans new anti-cybercrime law
The goverment is aiming to enact a controversial digital security law aimed at tackling digital crimes. But experts fear the proposed legislation could also be used to muzzle freedom of expression in the polarized nation.
“With increased digital services, crimes not only occur online but also through digital services. So we are planning to enact a more elaborate act to tackle all sorts of digital crimes.” These are the words of Bangladesh’s State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Junaid Ahmed Palak, speaking on January 12 at a press conference in the capital Dhaka about ![]()
New Monetary Policy: BB cuts rates
Bangladesh Bank (BB), the central bank of the country has cut its benchmark interest rate by half percentage point – the first move since 2013.
The BB cut its repo rate from 7.25 per cent to 6.75 per cent. The reverse repo rate was also cut to 4.75 per cent from 5.25 per cent. The bank last changed rates in February 2013.
In a monetary policy statement at the end of last year, the bank had said it was considering easing.
The BB cut its repo rate from 7.25 per cent to 6.75 per cent. The reverse repo rate was also cut to 4.75 per cent from 5.25 per cent. The bank last changed rates in February 2013.
In a monetary policy statement at the end of last year, the bank had said it was considering easing.
GPH Ispat to go for large scale expansion
GPH Ispat Ltd has decided to go for large scale expansion plan and enhanced the production capacity of MS Billet and MS Rod by installing ultra-modern machineries with a cost of Tk 17 billion.
“For this, the board of directors of GPH decided to make an agreement with Primetals Technologies Austria Gmbh, Austria (a joint venture of Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries & Partners) for supplying of machineries,” said Mohammed Jahangir Alam, managing director of GPH Ispat, while sharing the details on the expansion plan with the media 
