Pull the trigger
Bangladesh has huge potential to compete with the Tiger Economies in SE, Asia thanks to the large percentage of its young people. The question is who will pull the trigger?
The greatest resource of Bangladesh is its people! It has facilitated BD to become a player in the international garments arena. However, it is time for BD to become a leading actor within manufacturing and processing units. It is necessary to educate the young population! Education will create skilled workers, improve management system, provide the use of new technology and enhance growth of new entrepreneurs. Only, then can BD move up the chain and reach high end production as an export oriented country.
To educate the rural people to create new jobs in the villages should be the focal point. Why should the dream of a village girl/boy be to move to an overpopulated and polluted Dhaka for higher education or a job? It is definitely time to invest in the quality education at schools and colleges in the rural areas!
The prospect to develop more environmental friendly production units is a great challenge! Organic cotton farming, ecological agriculture and ecological garments production are some of the examples. This will make companies in BD more competitive and it will be easier to preserve jobs and create sustainable growth, because the international market is asking for green products. The present government's vision of digital Bangladesh should include Green Bangladesh to make it Digital and Green BD. Bangladesh is today suffering from the 3P disease: Pollution, Poverty and Politics. The diseases need to be treated instantly and therefore, individuals and industries in all sectors and politicians from all parties need to adopt the green technology and adapt ecological methods in daily life. The current environmental conditions caused by traffic, shortage of electricity and water supply in Dhaka cause serious fear among foreign investors and is a ticking time bomb for the inhabitants!
BD could benefit from the steps of President Lula Da Silva, who took Brazil to the top league by exercising social policies with a fruitful business climate. The preservation of the rule of law and free enterprise in combination with welcoming entrepreneurs to the political table and planning the architecture of the country has turned to a great success. BD needs foreign investments to challenge the issues of energy and infrastructure. Someone has to pull the trigger!
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments