Bangladesh crisis: Bringing economy back on track top priority, says interim finance advisor Salehuddin Ahmed

Bangladesh's interim government focuses on reviving the economy and restoring trust in banks amid political turmoil.

“The immediate task of Bangladesh’s interim government is to bring the economy back on track so that it does not come to a standstill,” Finance and Planning advisor Salehuddin Ahmed has said.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Ahmed was entrusted with the charge of the Finance and Planning Ministries by interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who announced the portfolios of his 16-member council of advisors on Friday (August 9, 2024.).

The interim government was formed after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5 following widespread protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

The rise and fall of Sheikh Hasina

Talking to reporters on Saturday (August 10, 2024) for the first time after assuming office, Mr. Ahmed said the government's priority is to restore the trust of common people in the banks while resuming the operations of the central bank.

"Then we'll work on bringing reforms," state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) quoted him as saying.

"For various reasons, the country's economy has slowed down. Our goal will be to revive the economy as quickly as possible. Once the economy comes to a standstill, it becomes quite difficult to restart it. We do not want it to come to a halt," he said.