Expo 2020 Dubai: Bangladesh to showcase
 socio-economic success

Dubai - The pavilion under the theme 'indomitable Bangladesh’ is inspired by the over 200 rivers criss-crossing the nation.

The story of ‘indomitable Bangladesh’ that has risen out of war, poverty and natural disaster to mark an impressive socio-economic development is an awe-inspiring model for other underdeveloped countries participating at the Expo 2020, Bangladeshi ambassador to the UAE, Mohammad Abu Zafar told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview.

The Bangladesh Pavilion located at the sustainability district will showcase the country’s mega infrastructural projects, women empowerment, climate resilience, inclusive industrial policies, agrarian development and its growing pharmaceutical industry that have catapulted the South Asian nation on the path of rapid economic progress.

“Bangladesh is in the process of graduating from a Least Developed Country (LDC) to a developing country. We have worked some miracles by pursing inclusive and sustainable economic policy. Other countries can take a leaf out our example,” said the envoy.

“This is an Expo where people from all over the world will be visiting. We are going to showcase our story and how far we have come in the last 50 years.”

Bangladesh is celebrating its 50th year of independence this year that coincides with the UAE’s 50th year. In the same year, the country also marks the 100th birth anniversary of its founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The past decade has seen Bangladesh rising as an economic powerhouse with an annual GDP growth touching seven per cent. The World Bank has upgraded Bangladesh’s GDP growth forecast for this fiscal year to 3.6 per cent making it the second best performing economy in the South Asia.

Elaborating on the success story of Bangladesh, the ambassador said his country has been pursuing an inclusive development agenda - meaning equitable development strategy for all administrative districts.

“We have set up 100 special economic zones spread across the country. Even during the pandemic, we marked an incremental growth rate in our exports. We are reaping the benefits of our inclusive and sustainable industrial policy as set by our founding father and later expanded by our leaders,” said Abu Zafar.

From mass starvation, the country has transformed into a surplus food bowl.

“We never thought Bangladesh can grow strawberries and dragon fruits. These were products unknown in the country. We used to be a foot deficit country. In 1972, we used to produce 10 million metric tonnes of food grains. And now we are producing 45 million metric tonnes of food grains. We have surplus food production in the country. Today we are the third largest rice producing country in the world and second largest vegetable growing county in the world,” said the ambassador.

Vision 2040 sets the country on the path to becoming a high-income, prosperous country in the next 20 years. “We are a leading garment manufacturer. Our pharmaceutical industry is also expanding rapidly. We are already transformed from an agrarian to a moderately industrial country. We are recalibrating our manufacturing sector toward this goal,” he said.