B Mirror Report: The Bangladesh Private Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Act, 1996 was repealed by a new ordinance issued by the interim administration, putting all privately operated EPZs under the direct supervision and control of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA).

All current private EPZs will now be redesigned as Private Economic Zones under the recently passed Bangladesh Private Export Processing Zones (Repeal) Ordinance, 2026.

The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs published the gazette notification for the ordinance on Monday.

Dr Md Rezaul Karim, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, said the ordinance has come into force with immediate effect.

Although the 1996 law has been repealed, Section 2 of the new ordinance safeguards all actions, decisions and measures taken under the previous act, ensuring their continued validity.

According to Section 2(2-a), private EPZs established under the repealed law will now be governed by the Bangladesh Economic Zone Act, 2010, with BEZA formally entrusted with their management and supervision.

The ordinance also makes it clear that existing licenses will remain effective, and entrepreneurs will not be required to seek fresh approvals due to the legislative change. Existing bonded facilities and concessionary incentives will also continue, while BEZA will have the authority to take necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted operations of the zones.

As part of the restructuring, the former Board of Governors and Executive Cell of private EPZs have been dissolved.

Officials and staff currently employed in the Executive Cell will be transferred to BEZA, retaining their existing terms and conditions of service for the time being. Any ongoing legal cases or proceedings involving the dissolved bodies will now proceed with BEZA as the relevant authority.

The Private EPZ Act was originally enacted in 1996 by the then government to boost investment and export activities through privately operated EPZs. Following a review of its relevance and effectiveness in the current context, the present government decided to repeal the law.