Photo : Collected

DHAKA, June 15, 2025 (BSS) - Swisscontact and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have officially entered into a strategic partnership to promote sustainable, inclusive growth in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed today at the BGMEA office in Dhaka.

The MoU formalises collaboration under three flagship projects implemented by Swisscontact – PROGRESS (Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector through Skills), funded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), InSPIRE (Initiative to Stimulate Private Investment for Resource Efficiency), funded by the Embassy of Sweden, is a challenge fund that drives the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency within the sector.

BYETS (Building Youth Employability through Skills), funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands, enhances youth employability by providing technical and soft skills training in RMG, agro-processing, and ICT–all of which are working for the RMG sector and operate across key industrial zones including Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Chattogram, said a press release.

The MoU brings together BGMEA’s industry reach and Swisscontact’s development expertise to collaborate and promote sustainability focusing on skills development for women and youth, environmental and social compliance, clean energy adoption, and joint outreach to support factory-level transformation in the RMG sector.

Ikramul H. Sohel, Senior Programme Officer – Inclusive Economic Development of the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, remarked: “The Swedish government prioritises empowering MSMEs and advancing gender equality within the RMG sector. We believe this partnership between Swisscontact and BGMEA will bring these priorities to life by catalysing meaningful, long-term change that benefits both workers and businesses.”

BGMEA Administrator Anwar Hossain said: “This MoU reflects our commitment to strengthening Bangladesh’s RMG sector by enhancing competitiveness through innovation, workforce development, and sustainability. We look forward to working with Swisscontact to create tangible impact across the industry.”

“We are excited to join hands with BGMEA to scale our efforts in making the RMG sector more resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable,” said Ishrat Fatema, Deputy Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh. “This partnership will support factories in adopting greener practices while ensuring better livelihoods for workers, especially women.”

This partnership represents a major step forward in building a greener, more inclusive RMG industry that continues to power Bangladesh’s economic growth while upholding global sustainability standards.

Inamul Haq Khan Bablu, Senior Vice President, BGMEA and BGMEA Support Committee members Asif Ashraf, and ANM Saifuddin were also present at the MoU signing ceremony.