Jan04

Project Coordinator : Mr. Iftekar Ahmed
Project Duration :  September, 2005- October, 2005
Development Partner : South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) and Foreign Investors Advisors Service (FIAS)

Objective : BEI, in collaboration with SEDF and FIAS, conducted the first Bangladesh Administrative Barriers Review (ABR) in 2005 – 2006. As part of this Review, BEI looked at six key regulatory issues that serve as barriers to investment and private sector development. The key issues examined were Environmental and Location Clearance Certification, Duty Drawback, Customs Clearance for Capital Machinery Imports, Bonded Warehouse Licensing and Foreign Loan Documentation. The Review incorporated a three-pronged approach, examining the view points of the Government of Bangladesh through a detailed process mapping, of business intermediaries and firms through a survey, and of the private sector in general through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Based on these inputs, BEI prepared a comprehensive report and presented the findings to stakeholders at a workshop in February 2006. The first ABR was an integral part of the design phase of the Bangladesh Private Sector Development Support Project.