Bangladesh is still stuck in one sector in terms of exports, ready-made garments. Ready-made garments account for more than 80 percent of the amount that Bangladesh exports to the world every year. However, Bangladesh does not have its own brand of ready-made garments either. In such a situation, those involved in the sector believe that technology and technological products are the most suitable sector to diversify exports, a press release said.
On Friday, January 30 morning, speakers made these remarks at a panel discussion titled ‘From Bangladesh to the World: The Dream of Production and Export’ organized by the Digital Device and Innovation Expo 2026 at the Bangla Pradesh China Friendship Conference Center in Agargaon, the capital.
The panel discussion was moderated by Bangladesh Computer Samity President Mohammad Zahirul Islam, and the panelists were EPB Secretary General and CEO Mohammad Hasan Arif, RFL Electronics Executive Director Noor Alam, Walton DG Hi-Tech Industry Executive Director Abdur Rouf, Xiaomi Bangladesh Country Manager Ziauddin Chowdhury, and World Bank Senior Specialist Ubah Thomas Ubah.
Before the panel discussion, Bangladesh Computer Samity President Mohammad Zahirul Islam presented a short keynote speech. He spoke about the country’s exports and the production and management of domestic companies.
He showed that Bangladesh is home to $50 billion in exports, most of which are in the garment sector. Exports in other sectors are still not worth mentioning. Technology and devices can be the new export frontier.
To do that, the country needs a short-term plan of 0-3 years, a medium-term plan of 3-6 years, and a long-term plan of 7-10 years. If we move forward with this, we will be able to realize the big dream of exporting in any other sector besides RMG.
He highlighted the importance of increasing the budget in RND in this regard. He also suggested that we should identify some aspects of Bangladesh’s border restrictions and come out of them.
In the discussion, EPB Secretary General and CEO Mohammad Hasan Arif said, 80 percent of our exports are RMG. Even a large part of this market goes to the European Union and some goes to the United States. As a result, this has created a big risk for us. As a result, we have to think about the market in terms of exports.
EPB wants to hold a fair in the future where Bangladesh’s exportable products will be displayed. He said that information technology will also be highlighted there. So that Bangladesh’s products are known in different countries of the world and the export market will grow.
World Bank Senior Specialist Ubah Thomas Ubah said, Bangladesh now needs to move forward with different agendas. To do that, the government and private organizations will have to work together. Bangladesh is now a very big technology market that is exportable. There is a lot of talent here, which needs to be arranged to work with different countries.
Another big issue is finance. The finance sector should also be opened up along with the government’s policy in the private sector. Then some unicorns can come out of Bangladesh.
RFL Electronics Executive Director Noor Alam spoke about the country’s electronic market. He said, all our electronic components are still dependent on imports. But the big challenge in that regard is the high price of the dollar and taxes have to be paid. Now the prices of electricity and gas have increased. As a result, controlling the prices of products and providing them at low prices has emerged as a challenge.
Abdur Rouf, Executive Director of the Global Business Division of Walton DG Hi-Tech Industries, said, Walton has the largest electronic factory in South Asia after China. Currently, we are using robotic systems. We have created our own software company and we always control these in export products. There are many obstacles in export. Because we use 220 volts of electricity here, while in America it is 110 volts. As a result, we face obstacles here at the beginning. As a result, we have to overcome various obstacles in terms of exports. Moreover, it is not possible.
Xiaomi Bangladesh Country Manager Ziauddin Chowdhury spoke about FDI. Xiaomi is setting up its smartphone factory in Bangladesh and manufacturing smartphones. He said, we need to make the right policy for us in the electronics sector. The amount of smartphones that will be sold next year is a 1 trillion dollar market, if Bangladesh can make 5 percent of it, it will be able to capture a market of several 50 billion dollars.
He said, we need to bring brands here. We have the infrastructure ready here, we now need the right policy. Then we will be able to export electronics products and smartphones from Bangladesh.
