Staff Reporter:
Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir yesterday emphasized that alongside infrastructure de-velopment, Bangladesh must place greater focus on human capital and institutional capacity building to strengthen its competitiveness in the global trade arena.
He made the remarks during a meeting with World Bank Operations Manager Gayel Martin at the Bang-ladesh Secretariat, said a press release.
During the meeting, they discussed on the country’s evolving trade strategy and the need for moderniza-tion.
The Minister identified the development of a highly skilled workforce as a key driver for sustainable economic growth and effective participation in the international markets.
Highlighting the importance of aligning institutional expertise with global standards, Muktadir stressed that Bangladesh must enhance its capabilities in areas such as trade negotiation, trade law, World Trade Organization regulations, and modern trade management.
He noted that without such advancements, the country risks falling behind in an increasingly complex global trading system.
During the meeting, the Commerce Minister called upon the World Bank to expand its cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce through targeted support initiatives.
He sought assistance in building advanced skills among ministry officials, strengthening the capacity of the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute, and improving practical knowledge related to international trade law and WTO frameworks.
Muktadir also drew attention to the importance of improving project management efficiency.
He observed that while Bangladesh is implementing numerous large-scale development projects with support from various development partners, the effectiveness of these initiatives largely depends on the capabilities of those managing them.
In this context, he urged the World Bank to introduce specialized training programs for Project Direc-tors, noting that enhanced administrative and managerial expertise would contribute to timely and effi-cient project execution.
Responding to the minister’s proposals, World Bank Operations Manager Gayel Martin acknowledged Bangladesh’s progress in trade-related initiatives and praised the success of the Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J) project being implemented by the Ministry of Commerce.
She described the initiative as a significant example of effective development intervention and reaf-firmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting similar programs in future.
Martin further stated that the World Bank’s ongoing strategy in Bangladesh remains focused on job crea-tion, increasing industrial productivity, and fostering value addition to ensure long-term economic bene-fits.
The meeting concluded with both sides expressing their commitment to strengthening cooperation be-tween the Ministry of Commerce and the World Bank.
Secretary (Routine Duty) of the Ministry of Commerce Md. Abdur Rahim Khan was also present at the meeting.
