In a recently published report, World Bank has listed Bangladesh among the five fastest growing economies in the world. Bangladesh is fifth in the rank of growing economies after Ethiopia, Rwanda, Bhutan, and India respectively. Factors such as construction of mega infrastructures, remittance, and bumper crops production have greatly boosted our economy in the last year.
According to the official sources, Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth already reached 8.13 percent. The government’s massive infrastructure development programmes as well as industrial, agricultural and export growth have paved the way for this increase in growth.
While we are reveling in our success of the past few years, we must not forget that we still have huge potential for growth. We must fully utilize our human capital as well as our natural resources. Bangladesh has a large, under-utilized population and majority of those who are unemployed will greatly benefit from basic skill training. The government can partner with different institutions to conduct training workshops, particularly in rural areas. The unskilled labor force of our country is in dire need of this kind of assistance.
While we are reveling in our
success of the past few years,
we must not forget that we still
have huge potential for growth
The two of the biggest sources of income for our country are the RMG sector as well as migrant workers who send back remittances which are a massive driving force for our economy. The government must ensure the welfare and safety of both RMG workers and migrant workers while moving ahead.
The government must also ensure the development of rural areas in order to decentralize our economy. The rural economy of our country must be given priority in order to take our nation forward. Integrating more women into the labor force is also crucial to achieve our goal to become a middle income country. The government must make maternity leaves mandatory as well as subsidize day care in order to bring more women in the fold.
We must strive for sustainable development and growth as well as ensure the prosperity of every segment of society not just for the elite. In order to become a developed nation, we have to provide the same benefits and opportunities for each and every one.
