Bangladesh, May 12 -- Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun has urged the country to gradually move away from long-standing protectionist policies and focus on policy execution, institutional coordination, and energy security to sustain investment and employment growth.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion on "Trade Policy, Industrial Protection, Investment Impacts, and Consumer Welfare," organised by the Policy Research Institute (PRI) in Dhaka on Monday, Ashik said there is growing consensus that industrial protection cannot continue indefinitely as Bangladesh prepares to face the challenges of graduating from the least developed country (LDC) category.

He highlighted th...