Staff Correspondent

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said Bangladesh’s worsening energy crisis cannot be resolved quickly.

He said on Sunday it will take at least two years.

“The gas and electricity problems will not be solved in six months or a year,” he said.

Explaining the timeline, Khosru said building floating LNG terminals and other infrastructure would itself take 18 months to two years.

“So there is no immediate solution to the energy problem,” he said at a meeting organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday.

Khosru has repeatedly described gas and power shortages as among the biggest challenges facing the economy. In June, he said importing, storing and supplying gas could take at least 18 months.

At Sunday’s meeting, he outlined government measures to create a more investment-friendly environment by cutting regulatory barriers and making it easier to do business.

He said reforms were under way to build a more efficient and transparent system through greater automation and improved skills.

The government is also working to simplify port and customs procedures to facilitate trade and investment, he said.

“Policy continuity and predictability are extremely important for boosting investor confidence and ensuring sustainable investment,” Khosru said.

He said the government was also prioritising standards for compliant businesses, ensuring tax payments and fully automating the tax system to reduce corruption and improve efficiency.

AmCham Bangladesh President Syed Mohammad Kamal said Bangladesh had significant potential to attract more US investment, particularly in emerging and technology-driven sectors.

“Many of the fundamentals investors consider are already in place in Bangladesh. But consistent and effective implementation of policy reforms is essential to turn this potential into long-term investor confidence and actual investment,” he said.