Commerce Adviser Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir on Tuesday said Bangladesh must become more skilled and better prepared to navigate the growing complexities of international trade, outlining a set of measures to strengthen the country’s institutional capacity.
Speaking at the 62nd board meeting of the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) at the commerce ministry, he said the government plans to transform the institute into an effective, modern and sustainable organisation capable of significantly enhancing Bangladesh’s global trade competitiveness.
“We want to build BFTI into a permanent and effective resource base,” he said, adding that the institute would be developed into a self-sustaining knowledge centre with its own financial capacity over time.
To support trade negotiations and policy formulation, the adviser announced the formation of a permanent expert panel under BFTI. The panel will include experienced trade specialists, legal experts and researchers from both the public and private sectors.
It will assist in areas such as World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement, trade policy analysis, and bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations.
He stressed that expert support from a strengthened BFTI would be crucial for Bangladesh to deal with increasingly complex global trade frameworks.
The board meeting also recommended appointing a qualified chief executive officer (CEO) to make the institute more dynamic and efficient.
In addition, it approved plans to introduce a postgraduate diploma programme under BFTI, subject to clearance from the University Grants Commission (UGC), aimed at developing skilled human resources in international trade, trade law and policy research.
Participants at the meeting also emphasised expanding BFTI’s research activities, enhancing its training capacity, and building stronger national and international research networks to support Bangladesh’s trade ambitions.