American International University –Bangladesh (AIUB) in collaboration with Asset Development & Holdings Ltd. organized a seminar on “Public Private Partnership for Housing Development in Bangladesh.” on March 19th 2008 at the Westin Hotel, Dhaka.

Dr. A.B. Mirza Md. Azizul Islam, the Honorable Advisor for Finance and Planning Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh was the Chief Guest of the occasion. The seminar was well attended by a cross section of people from both the public and the private sectors as well as from the academia.

Professor Dr. Anwar Hossain Pro-Vice Chancellor of AIUB presented the keynote paper. The Chairman and President of Asset Development & Holdings Ltd. Mr. Salim Akhter Khan and the company’s Managing Director Mr. F. R. Khan M.Engg. (AIT) also presented papers on the occasion.

Professor Ataur Rahman PhD. of the Department of Political Science, University of Dhaka was the moderator of the session.

There was an open question answer session after the presentation of the keynote paper. Amongst others, professionals from the Real Estate Development companies, the main line house financing and leasing companies and academicians from BUET, AIUB, Dhaka University and other educational institutions, raised some issues and problems relevant to the sector. One of the major issues raised by the participants was that since Dhaka was to a great extent surrounded by rivers, the need of the hour was to plan the proper utilization of the land area available. The examples of the existing situation of the housing sector in India, Singapore and Malaysia were liberally quoted by both the speakers and the presenters.