Will a unified investment authority reduce red tape?
Parliament has finally passed the Invest Bangladesh Bill, 2026, folding BIDA, BEZA and PPPA into a single body to be called the Invest Bangladesh Authority. The new authority will sit under the Prime Minister's Office and is meant to bring investment promotion, economic zone management and public private partnership functions...
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Does export target matter?
Though earnings from exports of goods and services are critical to the country's balance of payments (BoP), it is not possible to increase them significantly within a few years. The growth of exports depends on factors including the strength of export-oriented sectors, global demand, barriers to market access, the domestic...
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When air turns fatal
The air we breathe is meant to sustain life, not shorten it. In Bangladesh, however, toxic air has become a silent public health emergency, claiming lives every day while imposing a staggering economic burden. Air pollution, particularly from fine particulate matter (PM2.5), causes life-threatening illnesses, including asthma and other respiratory...
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Protecting women from cross-border marriage scams
The growing use of social media and online communication has created new opportunities for international connections. Unfortunately, it has also enabled criminal networks to exploit vulnerable women through fraudulent marriage proposals and false promises of a better life abroad. In some cases, Bangladeshi women have reportedly been lured to China...
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Rohingya crisis and regional geopolitics
The Rohingya crisis is no longer a humanitarian challenge. It has become a major geopolitical issue, with competing global and regional powers seeking to expand their influence in Myanmar's Rakhine State and the wider Bay of Bengal.China continues to back Myanmar's military regime largely to safeguard its strategic investments, particularly...
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