President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday stressed the need to make the best use of the country’s demographic dividend.
“The largest segment of the country’s population structure is the youth. This is known as the demographic dividend. It is a great asset and opportunity for the country and the utilisation of this vast opportunity will bring success for us,” he said.
The President made the remarks while inaugurating the National Youth Day-2026 at a program held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital on Sunday.
The president said Bangladesh is still a least developed country (LDC) and is expected to graduate from the LDC category and become a developing country.
The preparation period for this transition has been extended by another three years.
“The necessary capacities must be developed during this period so that Bangladesh can remain competitive after graduating to a developing country,” he said.
“Country’s youth can play the most significant role in this regard. They are the principal driving force of the future and the responsibility for building that future also rests in their hands,” he added.
Fakhrul said the youth must be made employment-oriented to move Bangladesh forward.
The driving force of production and economy must be placed in their hands.
“A country cannot be advanced solely through political revolution or change; it must also be built,” he added.
At this time, Fakhrul highlighted the various contributions and initiatives of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia in youth development.
Reaffirming the current government’s commitment to the development of the country and its youth, the president said, “Young people must be brought to the forefront and given the leading role in every aspect of nation-building.”
He said the youth must be involved in all spheres of the country’s development and progress and there should be no obstacles to the country’s development and to changing the fortunes of its youth.
