Blue Economy Key to Bangladesh’s Trillion-Dollar Goal

Bangladesh must make the blue economy a significant contributor to its gross domestic product (GDP) to achieve its ambition of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2034, Planning State Minister Md Zunaid Abdur Rahim Saki said on Monday. He highlighted shipbuilding, port management, transport connectivity and skilled workforce development as key areas for coordinated investment and policy action.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Planning Perspective on the Emerging Industries in the Blue Economy Sector of Bangladesh,” organised by the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), on October 12, 2026. The event took place at the university’s DMK Lecture Gallery.

Saki said the blue economy and marine resource management were among the government’s priority areas. A blue economy cell operates under the Prime Minister’s Office, and efforts are underway to coordinate the work of institutions involved in the sector and bring them together on a common platform.

He said the Planning Ministry had identified several priority sectors, including shipbuilding, port management and port development. Improving connectivity between ports and production centres was another government priority, he added.

The minister stressed that connectivity improvements should not be limited to roads. Railways and inland waterways should also receive attention to strengthen the movement of goods between industrial centres and ports.

Saki said Bangladesh would need a skilled workforce to expand marine resource-based industries and make the blue economy a stronger contributor to national output.

Universities, he said, had an important role to play in developing the necessary human resources. He called for closer coordination among the public sector, higher education institutions and private businesses to connect academic training with the needs of emerging industries.

He thanked IUB and its Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies for organising the seminar and drawing policymakers’ attention to the sector’s opportunities and challenges.

IUB Board of Trustees member Javed Hossain, who attended as a special guest, highlighted concerns about port efficiency and the time required to move goods through Bangladesh’s logistics network.

He said almost all of Bangladesh’s container-handling operations were concentrated at Chattogram Port. According to figures he cited, unloading a tanker carrying 21,000 tonnes of fuel oil takes three to five days in Bangladesh, compared with four to five hours in Singapore.

Hossain also said shipments of Bangladeshi ready-made garments took around 95 days to reach their destinations, compared with 61 days for Vietnam and 32 days for China. He attributed the delays to corruption.

The comparisons were presented in his remarks, but the specific ports, routes, measurement periods and sources underlying the figures were not identified. Further verification would be needed before treating them as directly comparable industry-wide benchmarks.

The keynote paper was presented by retired Rear Admiral Khurshid Alam, director of IUB’s Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies. He discussed the potential of the Bay of Bengal and the future prospects of emerging industries within the blue economy.

The blue economy broadly refers to economic activities that use marine and coastal resources sustainably. Relevant sectors include maritime transport, ports, shipbuilding, fisheries, marine tourism and other industries linked to ocean resources. Their development depends on investment, technological capacity, skilled workers and the protection of marine ecosystems.

IUB Vice-Chancellor Professor M. Tamim delivered the welcome address. Mariam Binte Hasan Farin, a student of the university’s Department of Environmental Science and Management, moderated the seminar. Professor Dr Bakhtiar Ahmed, dean of IUB’s School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, delivered the vote of thanks.

The seminar highlighted the need to link Bangladesh’s marine resource potential with more efficient port operations, stronger transport networks, industry-oriented higher education and workforce development. Coordinated action in these areas could help the country turn its blue economy ambitions into broader economic opportunities.

//DBTech/ZUP/SME/MIS//