Youth key to Bangladesh’s post-LDC path: President

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called for making proper use of Bangladesh’s demographic dividend by turning its large youth population into a skilled and productive workforce.

“The largest segment of the country’s population structure is the youth.

This is known as the demographic dividend. It is a great asset and opportunity for the country and the utilization of this vast opportunity will bring success for us,” he said.

The President made the remarks while inaugurating National Youth Day-2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka on Sunday.

He said Bangladesh was still a least developed country (LDC) but was expected to graduate from the category and become a developing country.

The preparation period for the transition had been extended by another three years, he added.

He stressed the need to develop the country’s capacity during this period to remain competitive after graduation.

“The country’s youth can play the most significant role in this regard. They are the principal driving force of the future and the responsibility for building that future also rests in their hands,” he said.

The President said young people must be prepared for employment and given a leading role in production and economic activities.

“A country cannot be advanced solely through political revolution or change; it must also be built,” he added. Mirza Fakhrul highlighted the contributions and initiatives of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to youth development.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to involving young people in all areas of national development, saying they should be brought to the forefront of nation-building.

Praising young and women entrepreneurs, the President said many were achieving success with limited capital by producing their own goods and reaching domestic and export markets.

He said the success of women entrepreneurs was particularly encouraging, citing the example of a woman who produced local food items and sweets, earned a substantial income and took steps to export her products.

He urged young people to become self-reliant while creating employment opportunities for others.

The President also called for expanding the activities of the Department of Youth Development, particularly its training and post-training loan support programmes.

He said making training, loans and other assistance more effective and accessible to suitable entrepreneurs could help reduce unemployment and build a self-reliant society.

He also stressed the importance of technical education alongside general education to develop skilled human resources.

The President urged young people to stay away from drug addiction, describing it as a major problem affecting the country’s youth.

He called for effective awareness campaigns and other measures to prevent drug abuse.

He also urged young people to take a stand against violence against women, dowry, discrimination and other social problems.

He said they should organise movements, establish organisations and conduct awareness programmes to resist such practices.

Highlighting the potential of biogas, Mirza Fakhrul said expanding environment-friendly projects could help address some of the country’s fuel and electricity shortages.

He noted that although the concept of biogas was not new, it remained useful and called for wider use of the technology.

Congratulating the recipients of the National Youth Awards, he said their achievements could inspire other young people across the country.

At the end of his speech, the President inaugurated a week-long job fair organised for National Youth Day and more than 1,200 biogas plants established across the country.

Earlier, he handed over national and divisional youth awards to the recipients and visited different stalls at the youth fair.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque chaired the programme, while Director General of the Department of Youth Development Md Motaher Hossain delivered the welcome address.

Md Abul Khair Bhuiyan, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and Acting Secretary of the ministry Md Mahfuzul Alam Khan addressed the event as special guests.

A video documentary on youth activities was also screened at the programme.