Govt moves to unlock idle state assets

The government is taking steps to revive idle and loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by establishing a transparent framework for their restructuring, transfer, or strategic divestiture.
Under the plan, Invest Bangladesh has drafted a new policy aimed at putting distressed and closed SOEs, along with their unused land and facilities, back into productive use through fresh private capital. 
The draft “Policy on the Transfer of State-Owned Industrial or Commercial Enterprises or Their Unused Land or Facilities, Transfer of Shares and Ownership Interests, or Strategic Divestiture” has been framed under Section 48 of the Invest Bangladesh Act, 2026 (Act No. 104 of 2026).
The agency has invited feedback from relevant stakeholders on the proposal, which outlines standardised guidelines for asset valuation, due diligence, transaction structuring, and competitive investor selection. 
Officials expect the initiative to spur industrial production, attract domestic and foreign investment, and generate new employment.
The proposed policy also aims to protect the public interest, ensure fair economic value for state-owned assets and establish mechanisms for post-transaction implementation and monitoring.
As part of the policy formulation process, Invest Bangladesh held a consultation with public and private sector stakeholders on 12 July. 
The Ministry of Industries subsequently invited comments from stakeholders on 18 August.
Invest Bangladesh said the opinions received were reviewed and relevant and reasonable suggestions were incorporated into the draft as far as possible.
The investment promotion agency has now sought further comments to make the policy more effective, practical, transparent and investment-friendly.
Relevant government agencies, state-owned companies, business groups, investors, financial institutions, experts and other stakeholders have been asked to review the draft and submit their comments or recommendations.
Comments must be prepared in Bangla using Nikosh font and submitted by 17 September 2026, both as a scanned copy of the signed comments and an editable Word file.
Stakeholders have been asked to send their comments to [email protected] with “Comments on Strategic_Divestiture Policy” as the email subject.
The proposed framework could unlock the economic potential of unused state assets while bringing fresh capital and expertise into distressed and closed enterprises. 
It is also expected to support industrial expansion and employment generation by creating opportunities for domestic and international investors to put state-owned resources to productive use.