FDI growth ranking

This is indeed a commendable achievement for the country and all those involved deserve our appreciation.

Surely, we could have done even better, but for our negative image created by corruption, political unrest coupled with labour trouble and a number of lesser factors. Also, there cannot be any second opinion on the observation made by the UNDP's Resident Representative in Dhaka about the state of our governance being a factor that is hindering the growth of our FDI.

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In an environment of free market economy FDI is bound to play an important role in the growth of a country's economy.

With the various factors impeding the growth of investment having been identified, let us deal with them in real earnest from here onwards. First priority is to simplify the bureaucratic red tape in approving investment proposals; secondly, we must ensure smooth energy and power supplies; and thirdly, the port facilities must be vastly improved. These are the things we must go about addressing immediately while politics takes its time to settle down and the execution of financial reform is some way off.

Let's not forget, in garnering FDI we face the stiffest kind of competition from other countries in Asia.