Bangladesh 2.0: Reimagining our Economic Future

The Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) recently organized a Policy Café at The Westin Dhaka, titled “Bangladesh 2.0: Reimagining our Economic Future,” gathering a diverse group of experts, business leaders, policymakers, and journalists to examine Bangladesh’s evolving economic landscape. Moderated by BIPSS President Major General ANM Muniruzzaman (retd), the event provided a platform to discuss Bangladesh’s current economic situation, including challenges such as inflation, income disparity, and trade imbalances, and explored potential policy paths toward a more resilient and forward-looking economy.

Among the keynote speakers, Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), emphasized the need to rethink economic priorities, proposing reforms that focus beyond traditional GDP growth metrics. She underscored the importance of investing in areas like foreign direct investment (FDI) and technological upskilling to align with global trends and enhance competitiveness. Mr. Fahim Mashroor, Founder and CEO of Bdjobs.com, highlighted the critical issue of youth unemployment, advocating for structural reforms to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as key engines for job creation and sustainable economic growth.

The interactive session welcomed insights from the audience on broad issues like food and energy security, banking reforms, and export diversification, as well as ways to strengthen resilience in response to global economic disruptions. The event concluded with a shared optimism for a collaborative journey towards “Bangladesh 2.0”—a dynamic, inclusive economy poised to meet the challenges of a globalized world and the aspirations of its citizens through strategic reforms and a unified vision for the future.