Dhaka: Productivity growth, stronger institutions, and performance-based policy support are essential for creating sustainable jobs and improving Bangladesh's global competitiveness, speakers said at a panel discussion on Friday. They emphasized the need for enhancing organizational capability, attracting investment, strengthening industry-academia collaboration, and pursuing balanced regional development to sustain economic growth, especially as Bangladesh prepares to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the discussion, titled "Productivity, Competitiveness and Trade for Jobs," was part of the two-day Bengal Delta Conference 2026 organized by the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (DAIRA) at InterContinental Dhaka. The event featured Prime Minister's Adviser on Finance and Planning Dr. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Professor of Economics at SOAS University of London Dr. Mushtaq Khan, Panam Institute Chairman Jyoti Rahman, and President of Bangladesh Apparel Youth Leaders Alliance Abrar Hossain Sayem as panelists, with DAIRA Research Director Mohammad Asaduzzaman as the moderator.
Dr. Titumir outlined the government's economic strategy, emphasizing the need for an investment-driven development model tailored to domestic realities and evolving global geoeconomic conditions. He highlighted a strategy where investment leads to production, production creates employment, employment increases revenue without raising tax rates, and that revenue finances education, health, and social security. The adviser reiterated the government's goal of increasing spending on education, healthcare, and social protection, aiming for a democratic welfare state.
Prof. Mushtaq Khan pointed out that productivity is not solely determined by capital investment and skilled labor but also by organizational capability. He explained that enterprises with similar resources can produce vastly different outcomes depending on the quality of management and institutional capacity. He emphasized that government incentives and policy support should be linked to measurable performance requirements to foster improvements in productivity and competitiveness.
Jyoti Rahman highlighted the pivotal role of organizational effectiveness and management in productivity growth, surpassing machinery or traditional production factors. He encouraged policymakers and business leaders to adopt an experimental approach by testing innovative ideas, learning from unsuccessful initiatives, and expanding those that yield positive results.
Sayem addressed the challenges Bangladesh may face after graduating from the LDC status, noting that higher productivity, increased foreign investment, and stronger backward linkages will be crucial to maintaining the competitiveness of the country's export industries. He also underscored the importance of technology transfer, skills development, and stronger partnerships between industry, technical and vocational institutions, and universities to build a future-ready workforce.
The speakers collectively agreed that sustainable job creation and long-term economic growth will hinge on higher productivity, stronger institutional capacity, closer collaboration between industry and academia, balanced regional development, and performance-based policy support.