Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has set out a sweeping economic vision aimed at transforming Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2034, with pledges spanning job creation, foreign investment, and structural reforms.
Unveiled at the Bangladesh Investment Summit, the roadmap outlines plans to generate 10 million jobs within the first 18 months of forming government.
Central to the BNP’s strategy is a substantial increase in the foreign direct investment-to-GDP ratio—from the current 0.45% to a targeted 2.5%.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the country’s gross domestic product stood at $450 billion in the fiscal year 2023–24.
Official projections by the Finance Division anticipate the economy surpassing the $500 billion mark by FY26, reaching an estimated $517.7 billion.
A cornerstone of the BNP’s roadmap is comprehensive tax reform.
The party has pledged to reduce the tax burden on citizens while enhancing revenue through a compliance-driven approach that replaces fear with fairness.
To bolster overseas employment, the BNP promises enhanced training and structured incentives to improve the skill base of Bangladesh’s labour force, pledging more effective outcomes than in previous initiatives.
The roadmap proposes 11 regulatory reforms to attract greater foreign direct investment.
These include effective activation of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), modernisation of visa and work permit policies, round-the-clock investor services, automated profit repatriation mechanisms, legal safeguards for investors, improved infrastructure, and ensuring the availability of skilled local workers.
In a message marking the summit, acting chairman Tarique Rahman underscored unity as the foundation for future development, invoking the legacy of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia in promoting foreign investment.
“I strongly believe Bangladesh will stand at this crossroads with clear vision and determination and emerge stronger in the end,” he said.
“The economy that could flourish so much leveraging foreign investments has remained under the shadow of its true potential.”
He stressed the importance of engaging directly with investors to dismantle long-standing barriers to capital inflow.
On the subject of recently imposed US tariffs, Rahman maintained that Bangladesh retains strategic leverage in the evolving trade landscape.
“With annual imports exceeding $75 billion, we can restructure just $2–4 billion of our portfolio to secure favourable reciprocal tariff treatments,” he said, arguing that such recalibration could help the country avoid significant fallout from the global trade war.
He also suggested that, as East Asian manufacturing giants face widening trade imbalances, Bangladesh—with its competitive labour force and relatively low tariffs—could rise as a more attractive production base.
“With appropriate policy direction, we are poised not merely to weather these challenges but to emerge stronger and more resilient,” Rahman added.
The roadmap also attributes current economic stagnation to what it describes as “18 years of authoritarian rule,” promising a return to fiscal discipline, investor confidence, and sustainable growth under a BNP-led government.
