bdnews24.com :
Soliciting Japanese investment in Bangladesh’s power sector will top the priority list of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her upcoming visit to Tokyo, the planning minister has said.
Hasina will leave Dhaka for Tokyo on May 24 on a five-day tour, her first after returning to office for the second successive term following Jan 5 elections.
Japan, an US ally that called for fresh elections as the opposition BNP boycotted the balloting, was also critical of the elections in which more than half of the seats were won uncontested.
But after the elections, Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida was the first among the foreign ministers to visit Dhaka in March.
During his visit Kishida said Japan looked forward to a “comprehensive partnership” with Bangladesh.
He also conveyed Prime Minister Sinze Abe’s invitation to Hasina.
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told Japanese ambassador in Dhaka Shiro Shadoshima during a meeting on Wednesday that Bangladesh would prioritise three sectors during the visit.
Power would top the list, he said, according to a media release.
He said Bangladesh would seek “necessary investment” for 2000 MW electricity on an “urgent basis” during the premier’s visit.
He said investments for a special economic zone where at least 2500 industrial units can be housed and river dredging would also be sought.
Japan, which established diplomatic ties with Bangladesh in February 1972, is the largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh.
Its assistance comes regularly as grant, aid, technical assistance and soft loan. The total grants and aid reached $11 billion last year.
It has already promised a loan of 120 billion Yen ($1.18 billion) in the next fiscal for five projects, mostly in the energy and city development sectors.
