Dhaka: The final recommendations of the National Semiconductor Taskforce were officially presented to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus by Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, the Executive Chairman (State Minister) of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) at the Chief Adviser’s Office.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the National Semiconductor Taskforce was established on January 1, 2025, under the guidance of the Chief Adviser’s Office. The taskforce includes representatives from the government, private sector, academia, and the non-resident Bangladeshi (NRB) community. The taskforce’s mission was to conduct a need-gap assessment and identify opportunities for Bangladesh in the semiconductor industry, providing policy and capability-building recommendations for the short, medium, and long term.
The taskforce evaluated Bangladesh’s potential to compete in various stages of the semiconductor value chain, such as design, fabrication, testing, and packaging. They recommended prioritizing chip design and testing and packaging in the short to medium term. Due to the capital and technology requirements of fabrication, chip manufacturing should be explored later, depending on progress in initial focus areas.
The taskforce’s recommendations are structured around three pillars: skills development, business environment and policy support, and global partnerships. They provided a phased roadmap for implementation over the short, medium, and long term. Short-term recommendations (2025-26) include launching a virtual knowledge portal with a certification program, establishing industry-standard training labs in at least five institutions by 2027, and setting up shared clean rooms for chip packaging and testing. Additionally, they suggested on-site training programs for engineers and targeted import facilitation and tax interventions.
Long-term recommendations emphasize leveraging Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) for investment and training and forming strategic government-to-government partnerships for knowledge transfer and technical cooperation. The Chief Adviser praised the taskforce’s efforts, highlighting the need for international collaboration and talent development to ensure effective implementation.
Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun stated that the roadmap provides Bangladesh with a feasible path to enter the global chip design and testing industry. He emphasized that focused interventions could transform Bangladesh into a technology-driven economy.
The 13-member taskforce includes notable figures such as Md. Abdur Rahman Khan, Shish Haider Chowdhury, Mohammed Enayetur Rahman, Istak Ahmmed, M.A. Jabbar, Prof. Dr. A. B. M. Harun-Ur-Rashid, Major General Md. Nasim Parvez, Prof. Dr. Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, Mr. Mashuk Rahman, Mustafiz Choudhury, Zahirul Alam, and Nahian Rahman Rochi.
Moving forward, the Chief Adviser’s office will establish dedicated working groups to implement the taskforce’s recommendations. With global companies looking to diversify supply chains, Bangladesh’s focus on skills development, policy support, and international collaboration positions it as a competitive player in the global semiconductor industry.