We often need to remind ourselves that we as a nation have achieved something and more importantly, Bangladesh has the higher potential to grow and offer its people the opportunities required for prosperity and wellbeing. There is nothing wrong in celebrating successes if we simultaneously point out challenges and we face to turn them into opportunities as required to do any business in life, especially in an emerging country.
This issue of the ICE Business Times has tried to highlight some of the positive changes the country has undergone in terms of economic development and industrialisation. In our cover story ‘Integrating Rural Bangladesh’, we have focussed on the transformation of villages and remote areas that has created a set of opportunities and connected the rural masses to the greater market. The Rural Bangladesh, which once represented the image of tranquility, is now emerging as a two-way market player – as small hubs of farm and non-farm productive activities and as pockets of consumers of various commodities and services here and there.
Once mills and factories were set up, somewhat in an unplanned manner, in areas which are now part of Dhaka city and there were demands for relocating those industrial units from the city. Almost beyond the notice of many people, Gazipur has emerged as an industrial hub housing a variety of manufacturing units and other industries. The feature story ‘The rise of an industrial hub’ has narrated the growth of the belt and how it offers the respite necessary to take the load off Dhaka city.
How do the workers themselves view factory work in the readymade garments (RMG) sector? This was the question economist Binayak Sen has tried to answer to, saying that there has been a ‘sea-change’ in self-esteem of the workers, mostly women, and also social attitude towards them. In the guest column, he came up with study findings that money remitted by workers to their parental households residing in villages by using mobile banking and contributed to alleviation of rural poverty.
In an exclusive interview, Faruq Sobhan, a former executive chairman of Board of Investment, said the national economy can grow at a rate up to 10% if a number of barriers are removed and a congenial business environment is created. He pointed out that Bangladesh could extract marine resources especially fisheries and oil and gas taking advantage of the delimitation of maritime boundary. In the regular column, Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman regretted that we are not adequately aware that Bangladesh has a global brand in its backward – Hilsha, the most delicious fish variety in this part of the world. He, however, expressed optimism that the silver coloured fish can become a brand ambassador of Bangladesh in short course of time.
Let us believe in us and employ all our efforts with entrepreneurial attitude to do good to individuals and society as a whole. We congratulate our valued readers, clients and patrons, contributors and writers and all other stakeholders ahead of the Victory Day.
