I’d like to alert you, my readers to two recent pieces published in the British media on better business and economic growth in Bangladesh. The first is a piece published by BBC 4, In Business. A story of a garment factory in Bangladesh resurrected under pressure, shows the ways and means of becoming an exemplary business for the onset of economic development in Bangladesh. Goods can be export ready while workers train and work in safe conditions and –what passes for–calm environments.
Consider that according to the piece, “the minimum wage set by the Bangladesh government had not been raised for three years. It is currently 1662 Bangladeshi Taka a month, about £15 or $24, for an entry level worker such as a “helper” in a garment factory.” To attend to such a high profile commercial expose, the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Labour and Employment promised that under the Awami League, the minimum wage would double, though not at an annual rate.
The second piece is this rather shallow, though useful piece published in the Economist. During a visit to Bangladesh, the author of the article, Kornelius Thimm noticed that chicken farmers collect chicken waste and generate biogas which is then used for cooking or for generating electricity.
Thimm writes:
How can rural markets for gas and electric power be developed? Should the government or other stakeholders like utility companies be involved? Is this model sustainable or just the “gap-filler” until the national grid system is installed and stable?
After looking at these very different examples of small- and medium-size enterprises in Bangladesh the question, it seems, is not whether these are relics of the past and unimportant in today’s global markets; it is whether the only sustainable development in Bangladesh is through these companies. The responsibility of governments and regulators is to protect and even support these businesses by giving clear guidelines that encourage further entrepreneurship and innovation.
The government of Bangladesh and its business leaders need to make sure that similar pieces are published in leading international magazines and policy journals. More news, in this case, is good news.
