Ctg now \\\'more attractive\\\' investment destination

FE Team | Published: May 09, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Chittagong, the country's commercial hub, now became an increasingly attractive destination for investment- both for domestic and foreign direct investment-due to its advantageous location, said State Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, reports UNB.
Realising the importance of Chittagong, the present government wanted to do whatever was needed for development of the port city which would ultimately put the country on a faster growth track, he said.
"Chittagong is the driving force of the economy. There's no alternative to its further development," Saifuzzaman said Wednesday night while addressing a function, 'Family Night-2014', arranged by the Chittagong Journalists Forum, Dhaka (CJFD) at a city hotel.
Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, former Commerce Minister and BNP Chairperson's Adviser Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and senior journalists were present.
Saifuzzaman, also a former president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said many countries, including Japan and China, were showing growing interest to invest in Chittagong.
Sharing the government's plan about development of the country's largest port city, he said he had a one-to-one meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on various issues related to Chittagong's development. "She (PM) is very sincere about Chittagong's development."
Saifuzzaman said the present government wanted to construct a six-lane expressway in the current tenure on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.
It would expedite the trade and commerce with smoother connectivity and reduce the travel time between Dhaka and Chittagong to 2-2.5 hours, he added.
The State Minister also said a number of satellite towns would be built on the way from Dhaka to Chittagong which would help reduce pressure on Dhaka.
Saifuzzaman also said Bangladesh had enormous opportunities to get benefited economically through joining Asean.
Integration with the 10-nation bloc - the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) -- would only be possible for Chittagong, he added.
CJFD President M Saim Tipu, General Secretary Muzib Masud, social welfare secretary Tawhidur Rahman and former CJFD leader Anup Kumar Khastagir also spoke on the occasion while prominent singers from Chittagong performed there.