Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most populated countries in the world. This poses perpetual challenges in ensuring food security, education, decent jobs, and healthcare systems. However, the large population created an abundant supply of labour and a highly competitive labour market. For this reason, Bangladesh offers very low production costs and has become one of the most cost-efficient production hubs.  
About Bangladesh

Country Facts

  • Area in km2: 148,460
  • Population: 166.59 million
  • Capital: Dhaka

Swisscontact in Bangladesh

  • Since 1970
  • 9 running projects

Projects

Bangladesh
Initial vocational education and training
High-quality healthcare services in rural areas
Achieving Sustainability Towards Healthcare Access (ASTHA) aims at contributing to the development and expansion of sustainable and high-quality healthcare at the community level by training young adults (50% women) from seven rural districts as skilled health workers. The ASTHA-project will improve the health and living conditions of the local...
Bangladesh
Entrepreneurial ecosystems
Innovative business model for clean and affordable drinking water
Even though water has been officially recognised as a human right by the Bangladeshi government, 60% of Bangladesh’s 160 million inhabitants have no access to clean drinking water. Many people live on polluted land or with polluted groundwater. Rural and rapidly growing (sub)urban areas are not usually connected to the public drinking water supply. People collect water of questionable quality from unofficial and informal providers at high prices.
Bangladesh
Continuing Vocational Education and Training, Labour market insertion
Building Youth Employability through Skills (BYETS)
The Building Youth Employability through Skills (BYETS) project will empower Bangladeshi youth with improved technical, employability and entrepreneurial skills, and connect them to income generating opportunities: jobs and self-employment. BYETS will partner with Training Service Providers (TSPs), government, industry, and employers to create a conducive environment for the targeted youth that would facilitate employment opportunities for them.
Bangladesh
Continuing Vocational Education and Training, Labour market insertion, Green cities
Promoting Green Growth in the Ready-Made Garments Sector Through Skills (PROGRESS)
Promoting Green Growth in the Ready-Made Garments Sector Through Skills (PROGRESS) project envisions contributing to the development of an inclusive, environmentally responsible, and competitive RMG sector in Bangladesh that can offer productive, well paid, secured, and decent job opportunities to workers, mostly women, and at the same time, adapt to the evolving needs of the global market in terms of technological advancement and ESG standards. 
Bangladesh
Continuing Vocational Education and Training
Sarathi 
Bangladesh is the world’s second largest garment exporter, with the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector accounting for over 83% of the country’s exports and contributing approximately 16% to the GDP. The garment industry consists of more than 4,000 RMG factories and employs between four to five million workers of which almost 60% are women. Even though RMG the sector plays such a pivotal role in the economy of Bangladesh, only 34% of it was included in the formal financial system in 2016 when Swisscontact started to work towards the financial inclusion of RMG workers and their community members.

News

Bangladesh
Continuing Vocational Education and Training, Labour market insertion
09.03.2023
The beginning of a new journey: Building Youth Employability Through Skills (BYETS)
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh announced the official launching of the BYETS project which was held at Swisscontact office. The project will empower Bangladeshi youth with improved technical, employability and entrepreneurial skills.
Bangladesh
08.03.2023
Empowering Women in Bangladesh: Swisscontact's Impactful Initiatives
Swisscontact Bangladesh shares inspiring success stories of women beneficiaries to celebrate International Women's Day 2023 and encourage more women to pursue their dreams and create positive change.
Bangladesh
Trade
05.03.2023
‘Flagship’ e-Port management system to boost Bangladesh trade
The digitalisation of several key procedures at Bhomra Land Port is set to expedite shipments at this busy border crossing, lowering the time and cost of trade for businesses, while potentially enhancing the competitiveness of the Bangladeshi economy.  During a recent meeting with the project team members, the Chairman of BLPA, Mohammad Alamgir declared the project as a flagship project, stating that it is a significant step towards modernizing the trade and transportation industry in Bangladesh. He also expressed his interest in replicating the project model in other land ports in the country to further improve trade efficiency and transparency The project is implemented by the Alliance in collaboration with Swisscontact and Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA), an independent body under the Ministry of Shipping (MoS).
Country Director Bangladesh
Mujibul (Cezanne) Hasan

Swisscontact in Bangladesh

For 50 years, Swisscontact has delivered projects throughout Bangladesh, addressing systemic constraints and creating pro-poor market systems in skills and enterprise development. These projects resulted in creating thousands of decent jobs and improved livelihood options, food security, youth and women’s economic empowerment, financial inclusion and economic growth. 

Besides, Swisscontact incorporates gender equality and social inclusion, environmental responsibility, and good governance across all its projects as sustainability criteria. The organisation operates from a country office based in Dhaka with five additional field offices and employs over 90 long-term national and international staff. 

Our partners
Swisscontact South Asia has been successfully working with partners below for implementing projects.
Events
Internal and Knowledge Sharing Events
Requests for Proposal
Jobs
We create opportunities
Bangladesh
Entrepreneurial ecosystems, Labour market insertion
Katalyst
Improving Business, Improving Lives.

Between 2000 and 2017, Katalyst has benefitted 4.69 million SMEs and farmers with an income increase in USD 689 million. It is the largest market development project in South Asia.

Contact

Swiss­con­tact 
House 28, Road 43, Gulshan 2
Dhaka 1212,  
Bangladesh