Bangladesh’s youth must be given greater space in politics, agriculture, education, legal reform and entrepreneurship to turn the energy unleashed by the July uprising into sustained national development, speakers said at a webinar on Saturday.
They stressed that young people’s growing appetite for political and social change could become one of the country’s greatest strengths if it is matched by meaningful participation, productive opportunities and reforms across institutions.
The speakers made the observations at an episode of PPRC’s Ajker Agenda webinar, which focused on the aspirations, capabilities and challenges facing Bangladesh’s young generation amid heightened expectations for political renewal, economic opportunity and social transformation.
Tajnuva Jabeen, organiser of the National Organising Committee of Alternatives, said renewed political interest among young people was an important outcome of the July uprising.
“July reawakened something powerful, political interest among the youth,” she said, arguing that the stigma keeping professionals such as doctors, engineers and bankers away from politics must be overcome.
She said a genuinely decentralised political system was essential to building a better Bangladesh over the next 10 to 15 years.
The discussion also highlighted the potential of youth-led entrepreneurship to address longstanding economic challenges.
Sakib Hossain, CEO of Fashol, said Bangladesh’s agriculture sector continued to suffer from a major information and technology gap. Farmers often remain dependent on intermediaries and face uncertainty over whether their produce will ultimately reach markets, he said.
Drawing on his experience of founding the venture in 2019, Hossain said he saw technology transforming almost every sector except the one that feeds the country.
“As a young entrepreneur, I saw technology transforming every industry except the one that feeds our nation, so we built [the venture] ourselves,” he said, describing youth-led innovation as a way to address gaps that previous generations had been unable to close.
Agriculture could also provide a major avenue for young people, said Umma Kulsum Popi, an agri-entrepreneur and agriculture-focused content creator.
She said agriculture remains one of Bangladesh’s most promising sectors, despite widespread reluctance among young people to enter farming.
“Ninety percent of our youth avoid farming, chasing careers with more income and respect,” she said. Bangladesh’s fertile soil, however, offered an opportunity to change that perception and encourage young people to see agriculture as a viable future for themselves and their families.
The speakers also drew attention to the need for more inclusive and practical education, particularly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Daw Sing Nue Marma, team lead of TONGDAINGNEY, said her initiative focuses on non-formal, technology-supported and nature-based education in the region.
Networks created by young people can play a crucial role in overcoming language barriers and taking education into communities across the Hill Tracts, she said.
She called for a reorientation of the education system to foster creativity, nurture values and expose students to real-life issues.
Legal and institutional reform was another major concern raised during the discussion.
Advocate Khalequzzaman said changing the country’s systems would require changes to their foundational frameworks, pointing to the continued presence of colonial-era laws as a major obstacle to reform.
Referring to the abolition of the independent judicial secretariat initiative, he described it as a step backwards and said law reform needed to be built “from the ground up”.
That process, he said, required a new generation of political leaders prepared to carry the reform agenda forward.
The question of how young people who participated in the July uprising would be included in the country’s future also featured prominently in the discussion.
Munim Mubashshir said the period following July 2024 had exposed a harsh reality: many young people who sacrificed and bled during the uprising had the vision and ability to contribute to rebuilding the country but were not given a meaningful place in decision-making.
“The responsibility now is to make sure the next generation of youth isn’t just remembered for the sacrifice they made, but included in the future they fought for,” he said.
Wrapping up the session, PPRC Chairman and moderator Hossain Zillur Rahman said the desire for change was Bangladesh’s greatest strength in the post-July period.
But converting that desire into lasting change would require work across every institutional space, from grassroots reform to confronting structural forces that resist change, he said.
He also stressed that such efforts could not remain confined to Dhaka or elite circles.
“Young people are wide awake to this desire for change,” Rahman said. “The real question is whether we’re giving them the right environment and right opportunities to contribute.”