Dhaka: Describing private sector as the ‘driving force’ of economy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday assured of continuing government’s support for further flourishing the private sector.

‘I would like to assure you that our government’s cooperation would continue to create a business friendly environment for developing private sector through a transparent management,’ she told an international visionary conference on economy in Dhaka.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) organized the daylong conference titled ‘New Economic Thinking: Bangladesh 2030 and Beyond’ at Radisson Blu in Dhaka.

The prime minister said her government has constituted the Private Sector Development Policy Coordination Committee for developing private sector, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) for consolidating industrialization.

‘We have set up PPP office for infrastructure development and drafted time-befitting industrial and export polices for public and private investment along with initiatives to ensure infrastructure facilities,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has been implementing massive programmes to attract foreign investment.

‘We are providing lucrative incentives to attract foreign investment. We have taken steps to build 100 Special Economic Zones across the country to attract domestic and foreign investment,’ she said.

The premier said a high-tech park on 355 acres of land is being constructed at Kaliakoir with a target of employing 10 lakh people in the IT sector by 2021 and exporting goods of 5 billion dollars a year.

Sheikh Hasina also called upon all to work together for further advancement of the country by remaining above personal and vested interest.

‘This is the country of ours. We have to take the country towards advancement working together and remaining above personal and vested interest. Let’s come and work for our country to build a hunger and poverty-free ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by the Father of the Nation,’ she said

‘I have a firm belief that we could achieve the goal,’ she added.

In this connection, the prime minister quoted a speech of the Father of the Nation with regard to economic development.

Sheikh Hasina said the UK-based multi-national company, Price Water House Coopers, in a report said Bangladesh would become the 29th economy of the world by 2030 and 23rd by 2050.

‘To achieve this goal, desired employment opportunity would have to be created through sustainable economic development industrialization, trade expansion, boosting remittance, developing infrastructure and improving education and healthcare services,’ she said.

The prime minister said Bangladesh has been working with a far-reaching goal to ameliorate its standings on various indexes like Cost of Doing Business Index of World Bank, Global Competitive Index of World Economic Forum, UN Human Development Index, Global Innovation Index and Logistics Performance Index aimed at turning Bangladesh into a developed economy.

The prime minister said Bangladesh would secure recognition of a poverty-free country by 2030. ‘To fulfil this target, the present government is continuing its support for increasing investment, creation of employment opportunity and improvement of business environment, reduction of cost of doing business and setting up of priority-based industries,’ she said.