Migrants’ $35b remittance driving national growth: President

Collected Photo

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday (October 14) remarked that expatriate workers are keeping the country’s economy alive, calling for safe migration, dignified employment, and skilled human resource development to strengthen Bangladesh’s position in the global market.

“Let us build a Bangladesh where migration is safe, employment is dignified, skilled manpower strengthens the country’s standing in the global market, and migrant as well as returnee workers become equal partners in national development,” the President said.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a programme organized at Hotel InterContinental in the capital on Wednesday afternoon to mark the 30th anniversary of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) and the “Sonar Manush Sammelan-2026”.

Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Zahir Uddin also addressed the event as guests.

The President urged all stakeholders, including the government and opposition parties, to work together to ensure the rights and protection of migrant workers.

“We must remember that behind every dollar of remittance lies an individual’s hard work, sacrifice, and dream. Protecting their rights, ensuring their dignity, and utilizing their achievements for national development is our collective responsibility,” he noted.

Highlighting their economic contribution, the President revealed that expatriate workers remitted USD 35 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year. “Our economy remains vibrant because of them; therefore, our responsibility towards them is immense,” he added.

Calling for enhanced skill development, he expressed concern that workers are often sent abroad without adequate preparation. “Unfortunately, we cannot always properly train or empower them before going abroad. Consequently, a large majority goes as unskilled labor, sometimes without proper documentation, struggling to perform assigned tasks and enduring sub-human living conditions,” he observed.

Sharing personal observations from visits to Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East, the President emphasized that migrant workers endure extreme hardship while sending their entire earnings home. “They deserve the highest respect in our country because they are sustaining our economy,” he said, noting that remittance and the RMG sector constitute the two main pillars of the national economy.

Reflecting on past recruitment models, he recalled late President Ziaur Rahman’s era when Saudi Arabia recruited 10,000 municipal workers with all transport and ticket costs borne by the host nation. In contrast, he lamented that current aspiring migrants often pay Tk 5-6 lakh due to middlemen, influential entities, and recruiting agencies.

He commended various government initiatives aimed at creating skilled labor, such as establishing vocational training centers at the upazila level and introducing the ‘Probashi Card’. He also acknowledged and thanked expatriates for their contributions during the struggle against fascism.

The President requested the concerned minister to seriously consider implementing the proposed ‘Migration Decade’ and reiterated his call for unified action to ensure greater protection for migrants.

Earlier, the President handed over the “Sonar Manush” crests and awards across seven categories. Executive Director of RMMRU Dr Tasneem Siddiqui presented policy recommendations and future outlines, while Deputy Executive Director Motasim Billah delivered the welcome address.