Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said Bangladesh will reach double digit gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 2024 as it has already reached over 8 per cent GDP in this current fiscal. “Now the GDP growth are prevailing over eight per cent in the country. Bangladesh GDP will reach 10 per cent by 2024. Time is now to moving forward,” he added.
The finance minister came up with the observation while talking to reporters emerging out of a meeting with World Bank Group executive directors at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital on Sunday. He said said the country’s GDP will reach 8.30 per cent at the end of the current fiscal. “Bangladesh is now one of the peaceful developing countries in the world. The country has shown tremendous success to reduce poverty in the country,” he added.
However, he said, “World Bank is our friend. We have discussed about development projects with the leading lending agency World Bank. Bangladesh is progressing fast in the economic growth. Private sector is working to develop the country. Bangladesh is now model of world in different development sectors.”
Talking to reporters after the meeting, executive director of the World Bank Group Patrizio Pagano said that the ongoing Rohingya crisis should be solved through politically. “World Bank cannot interfere about solving the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh. It’s a political issue. It should be solved through politically,” he added.
The meeting was held between executive directors of World Bank Group and Finance Ministry. The Economic Relations Division secretary Monowar Ahmed was also present at the meeting. Pagano said that WB could not give their decision about the Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar. The WB cannot solve any political issue.
“It should be solved through politically. World Bank can take decision about funding. Bangladesh is our partner while Myanmar is also our partner. Bangladesh and Myanmar should have to way out for resolving the problems,” he added. The WB has taken several projects and provide fund for the Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar, he also said.
Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingyas. Over 700,000 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh following August 2017 military crackdown in the Rakhine State that the UN termed “ethnic cleansing”.