National Special Economic Zone
National Special Economic Zone, formerly the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar, is a special economic zone located in Mirsharai Upazila, Chittagong District, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh, spanning. Situated along the DhakaChittagong highway, the economic zone is about away from the port city of Chittagong. It is being developed under the oversight of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority. By 2024, various companies have collectively invested billion, with five industrial units already operational.
Geography
The industrial city is under development on approximately of land spanning three upazilas : Mirsarai and Sitakunda in Chittagong District, and Sonagazi in Feni District, formed from consolidating their respective economic zones. It is situated at the mouth of the Feni River, along of coastline of Sandwip channel in the Bay of Bengal. of land had already been acquired by the BEZA by June 2024.Development
The project is estimated to require a total investment of for construction. The World Bank has provided a loan of, while the remaining is being funded by the government. The objective of the project is to transform the industrial city into a self-sustaining, globally competitive industrial hub, complete with seaports, railway and road networks, power facilities, waterfront promenades, and residential zones. Additionally, plans include the establishment of five-star hotels, tourist destinations, parks, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and universities within the area., five industrial units are in commercial operations in the economic zone, with 22 more under construction. Approvals have been granted for 152 units within the zone, allocating over acres of land to companies that are collectively investing billion. These companies have proposed investments over billion, anticipating the creation of employment for 775,228 people. A $1.13 billion project is also planned to improve multimodal logistics by 2030. On 14 November 2024, the name of the economic zone was officially changed to the National Special Economic Zone. This was originally proposed after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on 5 August that year. In the same month, the authority has presented a 20-year master plan for developing the economic zone in three phases.