TE24 Bangladesh Desk:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday proposed the establishment of a D-8 Economic Zone in Bangladesh to accelerate the joint economic growth of its member states.
The proposal came from a speech at the 20th meeting of the D-8 Ministerial Conference at the Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka, with five proposals he effectively participated in from his official residence at Ganobhaban. .. Prime Minister
He said that Bangladesh is ready to provide space for investment of member countries in special economic zones.
“If we start the process now, we will have a solid D-8 economic region within the next decade,” he said.
D-8, also known as Developing-8, is a development cooperation organization between Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
Established in 1997, the Forum aims to improve the status of member states in the world economy, diversify trade relations and create new opportunities, increase participation in international decision-making and improve living standards.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina focused on the 25-year-old forums to include preferential trade agreements (PTAs), increased trade, ICT, agricultural diversification to achieve food security and exploration of alternative energy sources. He says it’s time to spread the word.
He said the implementation of PTA is a key factor in the success of the large D-8 in the domestic market. He said
D-8 intra-trade will help accelerate business outlook and he said the forum should aim to double D-8 intra-trade to $129 billion in the next decade. has been added.
About 70 percent of Bangladesh’s population is under the age of 40 and has 650,000 registered IT freelancers, he said. This huge manpower can be harnessed to build IT-based industries and engage the youth in various economic activities.
In his fourth proposal, he said the D-8 should focus on diversifying agricultural production to ensure food security and stable supply of food.
He said Bangladesh is ready to share its best practices and experiences with other D-8 member states. D-8 was to focus on agricultural production to become self-sufficient in food production within the next decade.
It is also suggested that the D-8 member countries should focus on energy consumption and the need for alternative energy sources. He suggested that the D-8 focus on capacity building by involving other countries with alternative energy experience.
Hasina told a conference about the immeasurable vision for ICT that it can turn the youth of the D-8 countries into an impressive workforce.
