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Dhaka: The lease agreement with Dubai-based global port operator DP World for the New Mooring Container Terminal at Chattogram Port is unlikely to be signed during the tenure of the interim government, Chowdhury Ashik Bin Harun, the executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), has indicated.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on 8 February, he said DP World recently sent a letter to the Bangladesh side praising the progress of the ongoing negotiations, said a media report.
But it also requested more time to review the draft concession agreement, he added.
"As a result, in practical terms, the discussion may move beyond the tenure of this government and the upcoming election and continue under the next government," Ashik said.
He added that DP World has confirmed receipt of the draft concession agreement and informed the government that it will conduct a detailed review. "They have asked for some time. Realistically, there are not many working days left," he noted.
Clarifying confusion over the role of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Authority in the Chattogram Port project, the Bida chief said the authority is not a commercial partner but acts solely as a facilitator in the negotiation process.
Explaining the process, he said that in government-to-government (G2G) negotiations, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is first signed between the two governments. This is followed by project-specific PPP discussions between the relevant government agency—in this case, the Chattogram Port Authority—and the nominated company from the partner country. The PPP Authority facilitates these discussions.
Ashik, who also chairs the PPP Authority, said DP World is a fully state-owned enterprise and that coordination is being carried out at every stage at the government level. He noted that discussions with DP World have been ongoing since 2019 and have recently reached their final stage.
According to him, negotiations over the NCT project entered their most intense and decisive phase over the past month, with close discussions held across various levels of the government.
"However, it is natural that finalizing such a large concession agreement requires more time," he said.
Referring to DP World's letter, which expressed optimism that the talks would move forward "in the right direction," the Bida chief said the negotiations would not stop even if the agreement is not signed during the current government's term.
"The negotiations will continue. Most likely, the next government will take it forward after the election," he added.
The New Mooring Container Terminal at Chattogram Port is one of Bangladesh's most important and strategically significant port infrastructure projects. The issue of appointing a foreign operator for the terminal has long been at the center of political and policy debates.
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