Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. File photo

CHATTOGRAM, Aug 11, 2026 (BSS) - Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury today stressed the need for active participation and ownership of the private sector for successful implementation of the Integrated Growth Network Development (IGND) initiative.

"The whole project is worth $5 billion, of which $4 billion will be undertaken by the private sector. If the private sector does not take ownership of this $4 billion component and it is treated merely as a government project, the project won't be successful," he said.

"The private sector must come on board. The whole project is all about private-sector development and the economy," the minister added.

He was addressing a National Dissemination Seminar on the IGND initiative held this evening at Radisson Blu Hotel Chattogram Bay View. The seminar was organized by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance.

Amir Khasru said the government has already decided to establish a free trade zone on 10 thousand acres of land. "There will be Chinese and Korean zones there, and we are also inviting the Japanese to establish a zone there," he said.

Yingming Yang, Vice-President (South, Central and West Asia) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), delivered the keynote speech. Yingming Yang said the ADB intends to support the IGND initiative with up to $5 billion over the next five years.

"During our ADB President's visit to Bangladesh in May, he presented the IGND report to the Prime Minister and conveyed ADB's intention to support the initiative with up to $5 billion over the next five years," he said.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Investment and Capital Market Affairs Tanvir Ghani also addressed the seminar, while ERD Secretary Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky delivered the welcome remarks and ERD Joint Secretary Mustafa Murshed made a presentation on the IGND initiative.

The IGND initiative aims to promote integrated and sustainable economic growth by strengthening connectivity, infrastructure, trade, investment and private-sector development.