Bangladesh must tap marine resources to achieve $1 trillion economy by 2034: Saki
The Prime Minister’s Office has a dedicated Blue Economy Cell to improve coordination among institutions working in the sector.
UNB
12 October, 2026, 11:55 pm
Last modified: 13 October, 2026, 12:01 am
Bangladesh must make marine resource management a significant contributor to its gross domestic product (GDP) to achieve its target of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2034, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said today (12 October).
"Equal importance is being given to rail and inland waterways alongside road transport," he said at a seminar titled "Planning Perspective on the Emerging Industries in the Blue Economy Sector of Bangladesh".
The Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), organised the seminar at its DMK Lecture Gallery in Dhaka.
Saki said the government had identified shipbuilding, port management and development as priority blue economy sectors, alongside improving connectivity between ports and industrial production centres.
The Prime Minister's Office has a dedicated Blue Economy Cell to improve coordination among institutions working in the sector, he said.
He stressed cooperation among the government, academia and the private sector to develop the blue economy and build a skilled workforce.
"Universities have a crucial role to play in developing the skilled human resources needed to achieve this goal," he said, thanking IUB and its Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies for drawing the government's attention to the issues.
Javed Hosein, a member of the IUB Board of Trustees, said inefficiencies in port operations and logistics were undermining Bangladesh's competitiveness in international trade.
Unloading a 21,000-tonne fuel oil tanker takes three to five days in Bangladesh, compared with four to five hours in Singapore, he said.
Garment exports also take around 95 days to reach their destinations after the fabric is made, compared with 60 days in Vietnam and 32 days in China. Hosein attributed the delays mainly to corruption.
Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khurshed Alam, director of IUB's Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies, delivered the keynote presentation on the prospects of the blue economy and emerging industries.
IUB Vice Chancellor Prof M Tamim delivered the welcome address, while Prof Bakhtiar Ahmed, dean of the university's School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, gave the vote of thanks. Marium Binte Hassan Farin, an IUB Environmental Science and Management student, moderated the seminar.