Business Desk:
Trade Advisor Sheikh Bashiruddin said, to increase the global trade market and diversify products, we need policy support, entrepreneurs are needed. Those entrepreneurs must be hardworking. At the same time, they must increase their capacity by acquiring suitable knowledge to achieve their goals.
He said this while speaking as the chief guest at the “Role of Competitiveness for Job Project on Export Diversification in Bangladesh” seminar at the Multifunctional Convention Hall of the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal on Thursday (January 22, 2026) afternoon.
The Trade Advisor said that the government is working to make Bangladesh’s export sector more diverse and competitive, not just dependent on the ready-made garment industry. Major reforms and investments have been initiated through the Export Competitiveness for Jobs project to achieve the export target of 100 billion US dollars by 2030.
The advisor said, we have spent 16 years in a complete utopian world. We will do this, we will do that, which is a completely cost-based plan. And now we are adopting various policies, talking to businessmen, debating; and everything is being done for the country. Now the world is playing a game of geopolitical factors, Sapludu. Sheikh Bashiruddin mentioned that we are trying to find our position in this Sapludu game.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Export and Project Director of the Export Competitiveness for Jobs Project, Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, delivered the welcome speech at the event. Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Mahbubur Rahman, delivered the special guest speech at the seminar.
Bijon Islam, CEO of Light Castle Partners, presented the keynote address at the seminar.
The panelists were Mohammad Hassan Arif, Vice Chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau, Wise Parry, Senior Economic Advisor of UNDP Bangladesh, M Masrur Riaz, Chairman of Policy Exchange Bangladesh, and Hosna Ferdous Sumi, Senior Private Sector Specialist of the World Bank’s Finance Competitiveness and Innovation Project.
It is worth noting that the ‘Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J) (3rd Revised)’ project: This investment project, financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the World Bank, is being implemented from July 2017 to June 2026 with an estimated cost of Tk 1264.17 crore (GoB Tk 172.12 crore, Project Loan Tk 1092.05 crore) with the aim of diversifying export products and expanding the market. Under the project, initiatives have been taken to remove barriers to entry of four potential sectors outside the ready-made garment industry, namely: leather and leather products; footwear; light engineering; and plastic sector products. In view of this, initiatives have been taken to establish 4 state-of-the-art technology centers of international standards through the project; out of which, one titled ‘Design & Technology Center for Leathergoods and Footwear (DTCLF)’ is being constructed on 5.00 acres of land in Kashimpur, Gazipur in the ‘revised project’ and one titled ‘Center of Excellence for Engineering and Technology (CEET)’ is being constructed on 5.20 acres of land in Kaliakoir, Gazipur. Already, visible progress has been made in the construction work of the two technology centers and the construction work will be completed within the stipulated time. These two world-class technology centers will provide relevant technology services, up-to-date training, technical and business advisory services to the manufacturing industries including light engineering, leather goods, footwear and plastics sectors, thereby making domestic small and medium enterprises more export-oriented, increasing export capacity, expanding markets and creating more employment opportunities.
In addition, under the project, a matching grant of Tk 128 crore has been provided to 106 factories under the Export Readiness Fund (ERF) program to increase the export capacity of domestic small and medium enterprises in these sectors and improve compliance. In addition, under the market linkage program, an international fair titled ‘Meet Bangladesh Expo (MBX)’ has been organized in the country for foreign buyers and business representatives with the aim of creating an international market for various products of local producers in the sector and expanding the existing market scope. At the MBX, 100 domestic companies from the sector exhibited their products. About 300 domestic and foreign traders, buyers, sector leaders and representatives of embassies of different countries in Dhaka were present at the fair. An online platform titled ‘exportbangladesh.org’ has been established under the market intelligence program, through which it will increase B2B connectivity between exporters and buyers and help Bangladeshi exporters get acquainted with international buyers and markets, encouraging the sectors to increase balanced and sustainable exports.
