The Golden Jubilee celebration is a lifetime celebration for many and cannot be repeated, and most of the 1971 generation who were fortunate enough to be a witness to this auspicious occasion would not live to celebrate the birth centenary of the country. We are lucky that we fought for the country’s liberation and could celebrate its Golden Jubilee. A heartiest congratulation again to the Honorable Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina.
I love the way Bangladesh is developing; credit goes to all sectors in Bangladesh. Also, without the prime minister’s leadership, it would not be possible. Now it is challenging for the new entrepreneurs for the opportunities and employment in e-Commerce in the post-Covid-19 in Bangladesh. I believe that the obstacles will be overcome soon. The government will extend full support to the development of e-Commerce in Bangladesh in line with the vision of Digital Bangladesh, which is my hope. It is to assure you that whenever people are in danger, the Awami League government extends a helping hand to them with everything at any cost. So, nothing to worry about.
However, to compete with the developed world and move ahead in trade and commerce, we need to be prepared to face the challenges of graduation. We have already signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bhutan. Apart from this, we have done a lot of work to sign FTA or PTA with several countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. The signing of the FTA or PTA can put pressure on our economy, but, in the long run, we will have to do it. There is no alternative to trade with different countries. In this regard, we have to move forward while protecting the interests of the country. In this case, the businessmen of the country also have to play a significant responsible role.
In addition, we have started talking with the European Union about the safeguard measure and we will also address different issues so that we become eligible for the GSP plus status after our graduation to a developing country from the least developed country (LDC). Since the EU is the largest export destination for Bangladesh, we will start talking with them to extend our market facility. I am optimistic that Bangladesh will graduate from LDC to a developing country in 2021 and the EU will continue the duty privilege up to 2029 and may be further.
Bangladesh e-commerce is strengthening its backward linkage with the agriculture, manufacturing, and services industry, offering considerable opportunities in innovations, entrepreneurship, and employment generation, and could become a key driver for economic growth. With the country’s development, the people’s financial condition has improved, and the purchasing power has increased. By taking advantage of this opportunity, some organizations are trying to deceive people. So, people should be careful to do this type of transaction. However, the government always wants e-Commerce to do well.
Happy New Year to InCAP and its team and also the readers!
Tipu Munshi, MP
Minister
Ministry of Commerce
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
