National plan aims to strengthen youth enterprise ecosystem

State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque on Sunday underscored the crucial role of young people in driving economic growth and stressed the need to further strengthen their contribution to national development.

“We are committed to transforming the youth sector, ensuring that training leads to real self-reliance and strengthening skills development to create meaningful employment opportunities,” he said while addressing a function in the capital.

The state minister said the government’s foremost priorities are creating jobs and supporting the innovative potential of young people, particularly young women.

The government, with support from the United Nations Development Programme and Plan International Bangladesh, inaugurated the National Action Plan (NAP) to implement the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2025.

Youth and Sports Secretary Md Mahbub Ul Alam said the government can create only 7 million jobs, leaving many educated young people unemployed and potentially contributing to social instability.

“This Action Plan must take a holistic approach. We need to adopt a bottom-up approach and organise workshops in other divisions as well to make the process inclusive,” he said.

Acting Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh Sonali Dayaratne said the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2025 and its National Action Plan offer a timely opportunity to strengthen the ecosystem that enables young entrepreneurs to turn ideas into successful enterprises.

“By expanding access to finance, skills, mentorship and markets, while ensuring inclusion for young women, rural youth and other underserved groups, we can unlock the full potential of youth entrepreneurship and contribute to a more resilient and prosperous Bangladesh,” she said.

Country Director of Plan International Bangladesh Kabita Bose highlighted the importance of inclusivity and equitable access for young people.

“We want young people not only to participate, but also to lead these initiatives.

We hope this plan will not be city-centric and will ensure the leadership of women, ethnic minority members and marginalised communities,” she said.

According to UNDP, the workshop featured technical sessions on the strategic framework of the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2025, the formulation process of the National Action Plan and stakeholder consultations aimed at ensuring the plan is inclusive, practical and effective.