Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Salman F Rahman brought dynamic changes to Bangladesh’s economy

From humble beginnings to a global conglomerate – Salman F Rahman brought dynamic changes to Bangladesh’s economy, growth and global perception.

Bangladesh’s growth is nothing short of a marvel.The government started privatizing some of its manufacturing hubs in the 80s. In 1981, the GDP growth rate shot up to 5.6%, demonstrating a newly formed country’s true potential. Henceforth, trust was put on private players, which is where Salman F Rahman, an innovative entrepreneur was spotlighted. Salman F Rahman had founded the Beximco Group with his brother ASF Rahman in 1972. The company initially exported and imported jute, until he and his brother realized the opportunities before them if they diversify Beximco Group’s business. Salman F Rahman noticed that Bangladesh did not have a strong healthcare and medicine infrastructure. This is where the Rahman brothers diversified their business first. Beximco Pharmaceuticals was born in 1980 as a result, and is presently an international pharmaceutical juggernaut. In 2017, Beximco Pharma’s annual revenue was recorded to be BDT$15.5 billion.


The leadership of the brothers took Beximco Group to new heights. The success in pharmaceuticals motivated them to expand their operations to petroleum, banking, aviation, real estate, textiles, power generation, Information Technology, ceramics, and more. The Beximco Park is a testament to the evolution of the import-export company into a multinational conglomerate.  He is working as the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Private Sector Industry and Investment Adviser. He is also Member of Parliament from Dohar and Nawabganj.

Owing to his rich experience of more than 45 years in the field, Salman F Rahman was appointed as Awami League’s private sector development adviser. An environment promoting business was created at that time, boosting GDP growth rate by 7.2% in 2016, and 7.1% in 2017. Before that, debt fell by 32.4% in 2015 due to the government’s bullish approach.

Because of the stark Bangladeshi progress, Salman F Rahman has been acknowledged as an asset to the country, prompting Awami League to induct him into their party. On 30 December 2018, Salman will be contesting the General Elections from Dhaka-1, an extremely valued constituency with an electorate of 378,968 (2014).

Rahman’s victory has the potential to heavily alter the economic dynamics for the good. The government is aiming for Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021, where the entire country is integrated into a single digital network. To make that happen, economic dynamics need to be unrestrained but controlled. It’s only possible if the government is led by people who understand the intricacies of the market, the economy, and business.