DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus has proposed establishing Saudi Arabia’s production sector in Bangladesh, his office said, following a meeting with the Kingdom’s newly appointed envoy to Dhaka.
Dr. Abdullah bin Abiyah presented his credentials as Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh earlier this month. He paid a visit to Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Sunday.
Yunus, the Nobel Prize-winning economist who heads Bangladesh’s interim government, “proposed that Saudi Arabia could consider establishing its production sector in Bangladesh by utilizing Bangladesh’s geostrategic location, cheap labor, and the country’s resources,” the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing said in a statement.
Azad Majumder, Yunus’ deputy press secretary who was present during the meeting, told Arab News that the move would be beneficial for both countries as it would “create employment opportunities for the Bangladeshi youth and offer Saudi Arabia an opportunity to obtain essential goods at a better price.”
The Saudi market is already familiar with Bangladeshi workers as some 3 million of them live in the Kingdom. They are the largest expat group in the Kingdom and the biggest Bangladeshi community outside Bangladesh.
Many have been employed in the construction sector but increasingly also in professions requiring high skills. In 2023, Saudi Arabia launched the Workers’ Recruitment and Skill Verification Program in Bangladesh, aiming to advance the professional competence of employees in the Kingdom’s labor market.
Yunus discussed with the Saudi envoy the prospect of increased investment in health education to support skills development in Bangladesh’s healthcare sector.
“It would also benefit the Kingdom, given the growing demand for medical professionals in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, Bangladesh has sent a number of healthcare workers there,” Majumder said.
“A number of issues concerning the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia were discussed during the meeting. Prof. Yunus expressed his hope that the Saudi-Bangladesh relationship will reach new heights during Ambassador Abiyah’s tenure and pledged full support from his government to achieve this goal.”
The ambassador delivered an invitation letter from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Yunus to attend the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh in October.
Often dubbed “Davos in the Desert,” the forum is an annual international investment and innovation conference that gathers global leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators.
