Bangladesh hopes to resolve several issues pertaining to their work force at the Saudi-Bangladesh Joint Committee which will be held in Dhaka on April 7-8, said Wahidur Rahman, deputy chief of the Bangladesh mission in Riyadh.
Speaking on the eve of his country’s Independence and National Day, Rahman said, current problems will be discussed at length and an amicable settlement will be arrived at between the two parties.
Abdulrahman S. Albawardi, deputy minister for Labor Affairs, is set to lead the 16-member Saudi side, while the Bangladesh team will be headed by Mohammed Aminul Islam Bhuyan, secretary, Economic Relations.
The Bangla team will be seeking the permission of the Saudi side to set out policy guidelines with the Saudi government in the recruitment of Bangladesh manpower to the Kingdom. “We believe in sending men who are semi-skilled and skilled in their respective professions and we like our men to be paid a minimum wage of SR600 per month inclusive of food and accommodation,” Rahman said, adding that this would eradicate the free visa system which is common among a section of the Bangladeshi workers.
“On our part, we have made arrangements to provide orientation program to all workers who are to be employed in the Kingdom,” he said, adding that they will be taught the customs and traditions of the host country, the language and the work environment. Some 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers are in the Kingdom.
He said Bangladesh has become a coveted place for investment due to the successful implementation of an investment friendly climate by the successive governments. “An added attraction to the investors is the duty free and quota free access for all Bangladeshi products.”
The list of attraction also includes readymade plots provided to intending investors in the Export Processing Zones established with all infrastructural and service facilities, fiscal and nonfiscal incentives and the existing legal framework for the protection of foreign investment.
He pointed out that the Kingdom and Bangladesh enjoy deep-rooted relations built on common culture, faith, cordiality, friendship and mutual understanding. “Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia share common hopes and aspirations and share identical views on major political and economic issues in the international arena,” he said.
He said negotiations are being made at forthcoming Dhaka meet to fix a date for the signing of agreements on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investment that have been already finalized between the two governments. The two teams will also discuss the framework for memorandum of understanding in the field of Islamic affairs and endowments, sports development and exchange of youth delegation and higher education.
Lucrative areas of investment in Bangladesh include power generation, information and communication technology (ICT), infrastructure development, tourism, telecommunication, agriculture, fertilizer plants, food processing and steel and other macro level industries.
Bangladesh boasts of world-class attractions and tourist facilities. It has the world’s longest unbroken sandy sea-beach along the Bay of Bengal at Cox’s Bazar, the Sundarbans — largest mangrove forest, the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger, sentinel of the South. The three hill districts are but fairyland, make believe paradise for tourists. Bangladesh is an heir to a rich cultural heritage possessing archaeological treasures. The envoy hoped that Saudis would visit Bangladesh for leisure and business to see for themselves the resources of the land .
The Saudi-Bangladesh Industrial and Agricultural Investment Company Ltd. (SABINCO), a joint venture founded by the two governments with a initial capital of $60 million, has been functioning in Dhaka for the past 16 years. The company has been executing a number of projects in Bangladesh.
Trade between the two countries is on the increase. However, balance of trade has been in favor of the Kingdom because of its enormous oil exports to Bangladesh. Bangladesh exports to the Kingdom amounted to more than $70 million, while its imports from Saudi Arabia were valued at almost $345 million during the financial year 2006-07.
There are five Bangladeshi community schools in the Kingdom including two international schools in Riyadh, two in Jeddah and one in Dammam with a total strength of almost 5,000 students. Two of the schools follow the Bangladesh curriculum while the other three follow the British curriculum leading to GCE and IGCSE examinations conducted by the universities of London and Cambridge.