Bangladesh Single Window to Launch by March: Lutfey Siddiqi

Professor Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy on International Affairs to the Chief Adviser, announced that the Bangladesh Single Window (BSW) will become operational by March 2025, streamlining import and export processes for businesses.

“Seven out of 19 certificate, license, and permit (CLP) issuing organisations will be integrated into the system in the first phase. Manual submissions for these seven agencies will cease after January 31, 2025,” he stated at a symposium on economic reforms at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) on Saturday.

The seven agencies include the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Department of Explosives (DoEX), Bangladesh National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention (BNACWC), Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), and the Department of Environment (DoE).

The remaining 12 agencies are expected to join the platform by February. Importers and exporters can register on the BSW using their Business Identification Number (BIN) and digitally submit all required documents. The system will allow users to obtain necessary CLPs and complete customs clearance on a single online platform.

The announcement was made during the second session of the symposium titled "White Paper and Thereafter: Economic Management, Reforms, and National Budget." The session was moderated by Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Chair of the "White Paper 2024" and Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow at CPD, highlighted that Bangladesh lost an estimated $16 billion annually between 2009 and 2023 due to illicit financial outflows. These funds were funneled into tax havens, real estate purchases abroad, and shell companies.

He urged the government to allocate resources for asset recovery, including forensic investigations and hiring global experts. Strengthening institutions like the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), National Board of Revenue (NBR), and the Task Force on Stolen Asset Recovery is essential, he added.
Dr. Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui emphasised that Bangladeshi migrants face the highest migration costs in Asia, often taking up to 17 months to recover these expenses. She revealed that recruitment syndicates siphoned off $2 billion between 2021 and 2024, transferring Tk 1.34 trillion through unofficial channels for visa purchases.

Tasneem called for declaring a "Migration Decade" and allocating at least 1% of the national budget to improve migration governance and support migrants and their families.
Dr. M Tamim, Vice Chancellor of Independent University Bangladesh, criticised the misuse of the Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provision) Act 2010, which he said facilitated corruption and nepotism in awarding contracts for 42 power plants, with an estimated $3 billion lost to underhanded deals.

Experts, including Dr. Selim Raihan of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), stressed the need for budgetary provisions to strengthen institutional capacity, enhance digitalisation, and improve data analytics within the NBR.

Tasneem urged the government to negotiate with Malaysian authorities to extradite key individuals behind recruitment syndicates and allocate more resources to Bangladesh’s highest foreign exchange-earning sector—labour migration.

The symposium underscored the importance of addressing corruption, illicit outflows, and systemic inefficiencies to foster sustainable economic growth.