The government will build the country's largest integrated convention centre at an estimated cost of US$300 million, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said Sunday.
The 8,000-sitting capacity centre, to be built adjacent to the capital on the public-private partnership basis, aims to provide world-class services to local and international event management companies.
"We'll build the convention centre within the next two years," Finance Minister AMA Muhith told reporters at his secretariat office.
"Although it is an ambitious project, we will do it," Mr. Muhith said.
Before the meeting, the finance minister met with ministers and high officials concerned at the conference room of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on the matter.
LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Housing and Public Works minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Information Minister Hasanul Hoque Inu, cabinet secretary Mosahrraf Hossain Bhuyan, and senior secretaries were present at the meeting.
Divisional commissioner of Dhaka, and deputy commissioners of Dhaka and Munshiganj also joined the meeting.
The finance minister said Bangladesh is now an attractive place in the region and many overseas teams want to organise meetings in Bangladesh.
"Many international event organisers want to organise meetings in Bangladesh. But we cannot give them space for lack of such type of convention centre," the minister said.
The government has already formed a high-powered committee with secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works being made its convener.
The government has already earmarked three suitable areas for the convention centre. All three areas earmarked are in Dhaka and Munshiganj districts.
The finance minister did not disclose the sites earmarked terming it sensitive to the land prices.
The committee will submit its report to the ministry within the next two months.
The convention centre will consist of a large gallery with capacity of 5,000, two galleries with capacity 500 each, ten seminar halls with 200 capacity each.
The centre will consist of 200 offices.
Mr Muhith said the convention centre will be connected with the city, airports and railway.
The planned centre might be built by a Chinese company, according to a note prepared for the meeting.
