The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The newly formed Bangladesh Better Business Forum (BBBF) Saturday held its first formal meeting discussing ways to achieve its goal of accelerating economic growth maintaining friendly relations between public and private sectors.

The 38-member high-profile public-private forum was announced on November 25.

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, also the BBF chairperson, presided over the meeting that lasted for about two hours from 3:45pm at the CA's office. The meeting discussed a number of business and investment-related issues.

After opening remarks of the Chief Adviser, the forum members discussed various issues like rising inflation, its impact and compensating its adverse impacts, employment generation, raising purchasing capacity, restoration of business people's confidence, compensating low-income group people to enable them to face the rising inflation.

Development of human resources, food price, government subsidy, reducing bank rate of interest, fiscal and trade policies, business regulations, promoting global, regional and sub-regional trade and commerce and curbing corruption also came up at the meeting for discussion.

In his opening remarks, the Chief Adviser said Better Business Forum is an ideal body for taking decisions and providing guidance for a consensus on any issue of business and investment.

He said the objective of the forum is to attain sustainable economic growth maintaining business and investment friendly atmosphere and suitable relations between government and private sectors.

The meeting decided to form five working groups on business-related issues like finance, fiscal and trade policies, better infrastructure and development of skilled manpower.

The meeting asked the Forum members to come up with suggestive names of the draft committee of the working groups by December 31.

The Chief Adviser said the Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) and Better Business Forum could work in a parallel manner to attain the expected goal.

Members of the forum, including Finance and Commerce Adviser, who is also executive chairperson of the Forum, Advisers, Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh Bank Governor, PSO of the Armed Forces Division, concerned Secretaries, noted businessmen and business leaders of different trade bodies and member-secretary of the forum attended the meeting.