Bangladesh should prioritise own interest before taking loan

Bangladesh has to prioritise its own interest while taking loan from the development partners, said Mushtaq Khan, professor of Economics at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 

He made the comments at a discussion styled "Whither Development Studies: past, present, future" organised by the Department of Development Studies of Dhaka University on the campus on Wednesday.

Mushtaq Khan said that sometimes it is convenient to borrow from China and sometimes it is convenient to borrow from the IMF. "So, it is most important to maintain balance. You can't just depend only on China or IMF to get loans."

"It should be kept in mind that they (donors) always act in their interest and their interests may not match with our interest. We have to understand this and make a decision as well."

David Lewis, professor of London School of Economics, said that the issue of development is still largely growth-centric. "So, the human development and economic growth are not similar."

He said the issues related to the development studies that were once discussed on the national level have now become universal. Such as climate change and biodiversity, he added.

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, professor of economics at the Department of Development Studies of the University of Dhaka, moderated the event.