State Minister Md. Aminul Haque speaks at EARN Project contract signing ceremony at Youth Ministry conference room. Photo : BSS

DHAKA, July 16, 2026 (BSS)- A contract signing ceremony for the appointment of service providers under the Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) Project (1st Revised) was held on Thursday at the conference room of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The project is being implemented by the Department of Youth Development (DYD) under the Ministry of Youth and Sports with financial support from the World Bank.

The ceremony was chaired by Amena Begum, Secretary (routine charge) of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, while State Minister for Youth and Sports Md. Aminul Haque attended as the chief guest.

Speaking on the occasion, the state minister said the primary objective of the EARN project is to enhance youth engagement by creating employment opportunities for young men and women. He stressed that the true success of the project would be achieved only when its benefits reach young people at the grassroots level.

The government has placed the highest priority on increasing employment opportunities and promoting the economic participation of young people, as outlined in its election manifesto. 

In line with this commitment, the EARN project aims to provide skills training and economic opportunities to nine lacs young people aged between 15 and 35 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), with 60 percent of the beneficiaries being young women.

Following the recommendation of the proposal evaluation committee and the World Bank's no-objection, four leading organizations -- BRAC, Save the Children, CARE Bangladesh, and Dhaka Ahsania Mission -- have been selected as service providers for the project.

Department of Youth Development Director General Md. Motahar Hossain, EARN project director Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman, World Bank senior economist and Task team leader Syed Rashed Al-Zayed Josh, additional project director (joint secretary) Dr. Marina Naznin,  among others, were also present in the ceremony.