A leading economist listed Sunday three major obstacles- deficiencies in transportation, energy and skill-facing the country on its way to attaining the cherished development to graduate to middle-income status.
Mohiuddin Alamgir, former president of Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA), said for such lacking it is possible that Bangladesh would turn into a lower middle-income country by 2021.
He observed that the country ought to move faster in improving condition in the three sectors to become a developed one by 2041.
Mr Alamgir was speaking at a press briefing at the central bank headquarters in the capital Sunday to apprise the media of the objective and outcome of the first conference of Bangladesh Economists' Forum (BEF).
Describing the road communications between the capital and the country's southwester part, he said the decision on Padma Bridge should have been taken much earlier for the sake of improving country's communications.
The senior economist pleaded that infrastructural development works should be given to those who can deliver faster, in time.
"We've to take decision to protect national interest, not any party or quarter's."
The broad-based forum of economists would release the recommendations made at its first conference, held in Dhaka on June 21-22, by the end of August.
The new platform of professional economists will publish all 18 papers with discussed summaries of the conference through websites within July.
"We're working on the issues," Mustafa K Mujeri, Director-General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), said while speaking at the post-conference briefing.
Mr. Mujeri also said the BEF is moving forward in a right way. "Though we may have difference of opinion, we unitedly want to push the country forward."
Sadiq Ahmed, vice-chairman of the Policy Research Institute (PRI), said the BEF has been able to bring both the ruling and opposition parties' leaders under one roof for discussing different development agendas.
SK Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor of the Bangladesh Bank (BB), said this type of conference is necessary for the country's development. "The government should adopt BEF's recommendations for ensuring the future development of Bangladesh."
The organisers said feedback from participants and media coverage of the event suggests that the conference went well.
"In particular, the attendance of a large number of high-level policymakers was most welcome that enabled a frank and objective exchange of views on a wide range of policy and institutional reform issues," the forum said in writing.
The coverage of themes and specific issues was impressive. These included challenges relating to gross domestic product (GDP) growth acceleration, public resource mobilization, fiscal decentralization, financial sector and capital markets, mobilization of external resources, trade-policy reforms, infrastructure development, agriculture and food security, urban development, employment, poverty and social protection, education, environmental management, governance, and public policies and institutions.
The BEF is reviewing its next one-year programme. "Several ideas are emerging in areas related to trade policy, public policy and institutions," they noted.
