PM Vows Tech-Driven Investment Hub Embracing AI and Industrial Transformation

Anchoring economic resilience on rapid technological adaptation, artificial intelligence (AI) assimilation, and institutional policy certainty, the Prime Minister declared a comprehensive national roadmap to transform Bangladesh into an attractive global production and investment hub. The declaration was delivered at the inaugural plenary of the three-day international geopolitical conference, 'Bay of Bengal Conversation (BOBC) 2026', hosted by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Saturday, 3 October 2026.

Marking its fifth edition under CGS stewardship, BOBC 2026 convenes nearly 200 high-level speakers, 300 international delegates, and over 1,000 participants from across 100 nations. Distinguished attendees include former President of Serbia Boris Tadić, former Prime Minister of Mali Moussa Mara, along with leading global envoys, strategic analysts, and policy architects. 

Harnessing AI, Technological Transformation, and Youth Competencies

Positioning technology at the vanguard of statecraft, the Prime Minister highlighted that the nation's demography represents an unparalleled economic engine. "To harness this demographic dividend, our administration is integrating cutting-edge technological shifts and artificial intelligence into workforce policies. We are expanding institutional capital and regulatory incentives for domestic startups, grassroots innovators, and digital entrepreneurs. We aspire to empower our youth to excel internationally, permanently converting 'brain drain' into 'brain circulation'," he asserted. The pedagogical framework is being overhauled to deliver practical life competencies, cultural values, and third-language proficiencies alongside vocational mastery. Starting from primary Grade 1, the government will provide free uniforms, school satchels, mid-day meals, and stipends, while extending tuition-free education for female students through the graduate tier.

Digitized Social Safety and Grassroots Healthcare

 The Prime Minister detailed a synchronized welfare framework to modernize citizen entitlements. Financial assistance will be disbursed directly to maternal heads of households via 'Family Cards'. Specialized 'Farmer Cards' will streamline agricultural subsidies and digital market linkages, while 'Health Cards' will anchor clinical access. These mechanisms will culminate in a consolidated, digital 'Universal Card' ensuring unified public service delivery. Concurrently, an extensive primary healthcare mobilization is underway to induct 100,000 community health personnel—nearly 80 percent of whom will be female professionals—to deliver maternal, neonatal, and primary clinical referrals at the grassroots.

Green Industrial Leadership, Water Security, and Rural Modernization

Underlining the ecological and industrial transition, the Prime Minister spotlighted that 53 of the world's top 100 LEED-certified green industrial plants are situated in Bangladesh. National climate resilience will be propelled by expanding rooftop solar grids, circular waste reprocessing, and planting 250 million trees over the next five years. Addressing rural agrarian lifelines, he announced an infrastructure target to excavate and rehabilitate 20,000 kilometers of internal canals and waterways over five years. The administration is also moving forward with the strategic Padma Barrage project and finalizing the comprehensive Teesta Masterplan to ensure sustainable water containment and climate mitigation.

Advocating for an equitable regional economic framework, the Prime Minister reiterated that the Bay of Bengal remains foundational to Bangladesh’s economic destiny. Leveraging deep-sea maritime ports, multimodal inland waterways, logistics networks, and the blue economy will unlock interconnected regional trade corridors. He called upon littoral neighbors to institutionalize bilateral and multilateral collaborations grounded in sovereignty, justice, and shared prosperity.

Reaffirming the constitutional supremacy of human rights, institutional accountability, and freedom of expression, the Prime Minister directed global attention to the protracted humanitarian shelter extended to approximately 1.2 million displaced Rohingya refugees. "The crisis that originated in Myanmar must decisively end in Myanmar. Sustainable, voluntary, and dignified repatriation demands sustained geopolitical pressure and multilateral funding commitments from international partners," he stressed, reiterating Bangladesh's dedication to dialogue, mutual respect, and non-aligned international partnerships.

//DBTech/JNO/DMN/BPC//