Youth dividend offers rare opportunity for Bangladesh

Bangladesh stands at a pivotal moment in its history, with nearly half of its population under the age of 30—a demographic advantage known as the youth dividend—and, if properly harnessed, this can drive future prosperity, stability, and innovation, experts said today.

However, achieving this potential will require strategic investments in youth development and skill-building, they said at a seminar in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and the Department of Global Studies (GSG) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), jointly organised the seminar titled "Harnessing Bangladesh's Youth Dividend: Future Imperative in a Changing World."

Speakers at the event noted that countries such as Singapore and South Korea successfully leveraged their demographic dividends to transform their economies, while China's long-term investment in its youth is now yielding significant results.

They emphasised the importance of incorporating youth perspectives into national policymaking and outlined the challenges Bangladesh may face in a rapidly evolving global context.

Ghanshyam Bhandari, ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh, attended as the chief guest. Md Nazrul Islam, secretary (East & West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was present as the special guest, and Saima Khan, country director of UNAIDS, was the guest of honour.

Major General Iftekhar Anis, director general of BIISS, delivered the welcome address, while Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarker, chairman of BIISS, concluded the inaugural session with closing remarks.

Participants included senior government officials, foreign diplomats, academics, students, businesspeople, media professionals, researchers, and representatives from think tanks and international organisations.