Kaliakair, Gazipur, Aug 9 (V7N) - The Kaliakair Hi-Tech Park has so far attracted US$ 283 million in investment out of a proposed US$ 1.636 billion, as the government pushes to develop the facility into a production and export hub, Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said today.
The minister made the remarks while visiting the country's first hi-tech park to assess prospects and challenges of technology-based industrial development, investment, and employment generation.
Anam said the state-run facility has drawn investment proposals of US$ 629 million alone from seven companies based in China, Japan, India, South Korea, and the United States. Global tech giants including Google, Meta, and TikTok have also proposed investment for a planned AI data centre project by a US-based company, which is currently under construction.
The minister said initiatives are being taken to accelerate investment and make domestic products competitive in the global market under the BNP government's "Made in Bangladesh" initiative. Fiscal and non-fiscal incentives are also being readied for investors.
Officials said 85 companies have so far been allotted plots or space at the park, of which seven are foreign entities. Forty companies are already in production or business activities, 28 are setting up their plants, and another 17 are expected to start construction soon. The government has spent over Tk 500 crore on basic infrastructure development, while total investment already made stands at around US$ 283 million.
"If a proper business ecosystem is developed, the park could generate direct and indirect employment for around one lakh people," Anam said.
The park currently hosts three mobile phone manufacturers (including Honor and Xiaomi), two laptop manufacturers, one ATM manufacturer, six fibre-optical cable manufacturers, and three automobile manufacturers (including Hyundai). It also produces IoT devices, routers, switches, CCTV equipment, air conditioners, refrigerators, home appliances, kidney dialysis machines, kiosks, and ATM machines. Two companies are working to establish data centres at the park.
The minister said the government is preparing a package of investment-policy measures to attract more investment, including duty and tax benefits on capital machinery imports, VAT benefits on essential services, expansion of the hi-tech products list, and extending benefits to assemblers alongside manufacturers. Proposals are also being prepared for customs and tax rebates on raw materials for local market sales, stable income tax benefits, and separate incentives for emerging technology sectors like EV batteries, solar batteries, UPS batteries, and e-bikes.
Anam said the past BNP government under Begum Khaleda Zia formulated Bangladesh's first ICT Policy in 2002, leading to the decision in 2004 to establish the country's first hi-tech park on 231.65 acres at Kaliakair, later expanded by 97.33 acres in 2016.
The Park's Managing Director Md Fazlur Rahman, senior officials, and representatives of relevant government offices were present during the visit.
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