Prime Minister Tarique Rahman says the government is moving from campaign commitments to implementation through a five-year action plan centred on national interests, policy continuity, economic stability and institutional reform. He outlined the priorities on Saturday at the opening session of the three-day Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 in Dhaka.

The prime minister said Bangladesh wants to position itself as a stronger production and investment hub, with wider employment opportunities across manufacturing, services, exports, technology and entrepreneurship. Policy predictability, he argued, will be important for attracting long-term investment and giving businesses greater confidence to plan ahead.

The government’s social protection agenda includes Family Card, Farmers Card and Health Card programmes, with a longer-term goal of integrating public services under a Universal Card. Rahman also referred to plans to recruit 100,000 health workers, most of them women, to expand primary healthcare, advice and referral services at community level.

On education, he stressed practical learning, technical and vocational training, language skills, culture, sports and ethics, while also highlighting artificial intelligence, innovation and start-ups as areas where young Bangladeshis should be able to compete internationally. The conference, held under the theme “Fragments, Frontiers and Futures: Navigating Power, Technology and Trust in a World Rewritten,” has drawn policymakers, diplomats, researchers and business leaders from more than 100 countries.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). Featured image: illustrative; Unsplash/Alexandre Pellaes.