Play store
Construction of the China Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) in Anwara, Chattogram, is set to begin on Monday, ending nearly a decade of delays caused by policy, financing and administrative hurdles.
The Bangladesh-China joint government initiative is being viewed as a major milestone for the country’s industrialisation, foreign direct investment (FDI) and employment generation.
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury will lay the foundation stone at a ceremony in Belchura of Anwara upazila. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will attend as the special guest.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, senior officials of the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), and local and foreign investors and business leaders are also expected to attend the event.
The government expects the project to attract around US$500 million in foreign direct investment and create more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Leveraging its strategic location near the Karnaphuli Tunnel, Chattogram Port and Shah Amanat International Airport, the project aims to transform Anwara into a regional industrial and logistics hub.
According to BEZA Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, the economic zone will be developed on around 800 acres of land on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli River.
The total project cost has been estimated at Tk 41.89 billion, of which Tk 24.67 billion will come from China’s Preferential Buyer’s Credit (PBC) loan, while the remaining Tk 17.22 billion will be financed by the Bangladesh government.
The project is scheduled for completion by 31 December 2031.
Planned infrastructure includes a multipurpose jetty, jetty access road, four-lane roads, bridges, a central effluent treatment plant (CETP), power substation, gas and water supply systems, solid waste management facilities and a boundary wall.
Sarwar Jamal Nizam, MP for Chattogram-13 (Anwara-Karnaphuli), said the project would bring significant improvements to education, healthcare, transport and the local economy, while creating substantial employment opportunities for young people in the region.
Bangladesh and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project in 2014. Although land acquisition was completed in 2016, implementation was delayed for years due to issues related to developer appointment, financing and administrative procedures.
The project gained fresh momentum after the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) was appointed as the developer by the Chinese government.
Officials believe the economic zone will help establish southern Chattogram as one of Bangladesh’s leading industrial and logistics corridors and provide a new engine for national economic growth.
