DHAKA, March 15, 2022 (BSS) - A five-year initiative called Mapped in Bangladesh (MiB) compiled and mapped export-oriented ready-made garment (RMG) factory data across Bangladesh using the factory census approach.

It has mapped 3,723 factories as of mid-March 2022, said a press release.

MiB project is being implemented by Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) of Brac University (BracU), funded by Laudes Foundation and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and being coordinated by BRAC.

 Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) are the strategic partners of the project.

The project is also supported by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE).

According to the latest MiB data, there are 2,754 factories that are members of the BGMEA and BKMEA.

MiB, the digital mapping of the industry, shows that the country's export-oriented RMG facilities employ a total of 2,77,8677 individuals, significantly less than the 4.0 million claimed by entrepreneurs.

MiB offers a transparency mechanism enabling accountability of the sector and an evidence-based decision-making tool for the sector stakeholders in a participatory and collective action approach with public and private governance entities and is aligned with the nation's mandated "Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021".

Joint Director of CED and the Lead Operations Officer of MiB Afshana Choudhury said, "The MiB has covered basic factory information essential to the industry, such as name, address, number of employees etc. into its digital platform. It also provided product-specific factory types, such as knit, woven, sweater, etc."

"This information can also be used by the government to formulate policies and organize various development efforts involving manufacturers and workers in the RMG sector," she added.