‘Women’s economic inclusion key to trillion-dollar goal’

Bangladesh cannot achieve its goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy without bringing women into the mainstream of economic activities, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said.

Women account for more than half of the country’s population, and overall development cannot be achieved if they are left behind, she said, calling for inclusive growth that ensures equal opportunities for women across all regions.

She made the remarks as chief guest at the closing ceremony of the three-day National SME Women Entrepreneurs Summit and Product Fair 2026 at the Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM) in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, on Saturday.

The summit began on Thursday with 60 stalls under the slogan, “A prosperous Bangladesh of tomorrow through the progress of women entrepreneurs”.

Shama said women entrepreneurs were not seeking special privileges or preferential treatment, but equal opportunities and their rightful share of support.

“The time should come when we no longer need to use the word ‘women’ before entrepreneurs,” she said, adding that genuine economic freedom would be possible only when equal rights and opportunities were ensured for men and women.

She cited women making nakshi kantha in Jessore, producing shataranji in Rangpur and running online food businesses in Chittagong as examples of entrepreneurial activity across the country.

Many women, however, face difficulties expanding their businesses due to limited access to marketing channels, new markets, finance and institutional support. She called for an integrated support framework to address these barriers.

The state minister said the Foreign Ministry was working to help women entrepreneurs access international markets. Bangladesh’s 81 diplomatic missions abroad had been instructed to identify potential markets and assess demand for products made by local women entrepreneurs.

The missions would also help connect entrepreneurs with prospective overseas buyers, she said.
Shama said she planned to showcase products made by women entrepreneurs to foreign diplomats, ministers and other representatives visiting the ministry.

A dedicated space could be arranged at the Foreign Ministry to display their products, she added, urging entrepreneurs to coordinate with the SME Foundation and the Ministry of Industries.

She said the current budget placed importance on the creative economy, including culture, arts, photography, films, theatre, dance, jute products, cosmetics and jewellery. Women make significant contributions to these sectors, and Bangladesh should use the creative economy to promote local products in international markets.

Highlighting education, she said the government had taken initiatives to provide free education from primary to graduate level for girls from economically disadvantaged families. Efforts were also underway to bring girls back to school and prevent child marriage.

Describing herself as a small entrepreneur, Shama said women entrepreneurs’ stories of struggle and success should be shared with the country’s 170 million people to inspire future generations.

She said the Foreign Ministry would work to identify new markets, facilitate financing and improve access to bank loans and other support.

Earlier, Shama honoured eight women entrepreneurs from different divisions and later visited the exhibition stalls.

The award recipients were Sagufta Sultana from Dhaka, Manjulika Chakma from Chittagong, Shantana from Sylhet, Hena Khatun from Mymensingh, Afroza Aziz Munni from Rajshahi, Umme Kulsum Popy from Rangpur, Bilkis Ahmed Lily from Barisal and Mariam Nargis from Khulna.

Officials from the Ministry of Industries and the SME Foundation, including the foundation’s secretary, attended the event.