'World has started taking note of Bangladesh's potential'

02 Mar '13

2 min read

The world has started taking note of Bangladesh’s potential, including in the field of textiles and garments, however, the country needs to efficiently grab the opportunities coming its way so as to effectively position itself on the world stage, Professor David Lewis, a specialist on development policy at the London School of Economics, has said.

The comments came during a panel discussion at a conference titled “Bridging the policy action divide: challenges and prospects for Bangladesh”. The event was organized by Bangladesh Development Initiative and the Center for South Asia Studies at University of California Berkeley in the US.

Prof. Lewis said besides tapping a six percent growth rate, Bangladesh has also shown its willingness to counter terrorism and extremist ideology.

However, the South Asian nation still lags behind in tapping the huge potential of non-Bangladeshi investment, both in terms of knowledge and capital, and entrepreneurial energy and political will are key to achieve this, local and international experts participating in the three-day conference opined.

Anis Ahmed, Managing Director of MGH Group, the main sponsor of the three-day conference, said Bangladesh has been included in Goldman Sachs’ “Next 11” list, as a country having potential to emerge as a major economy.

Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the United States Akramul Qader said it is important to hold conferences that bring together Bangladeshi citizens and thinkers and legislators from other countries.

Dr. Syed Saad Andaleeb, Professor of Marketing at Pennsylvania State University, USA, said Bangladesh needs to boost its image by enhancing focus on its people and principles, while respecting its identity.

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