City Bank has teamed up with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to scale up the Komlaphul Pharmacy Initiative, a programme designed to train young women as pharmacy associates and expand access to reproductive healthcare in Bangladesh.
The agreement was signed in Dhaka on Tuesday, marking the first collaboration between the two organisations.
The pilot phase of the project, led by UNFPA with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, showed that female pharmacists are often trusted more by women and girls, particularly when discussing sensitive issues. Building on that success, City Bank will now fund expansion across the country to create jobs for women while improving healthcare access in low-income communities.
“This partnership with City Bank is a powerful example of how the private sector can drive social change,” said UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Catherine Breen Kamkong. “By investing in young women, we are investing in healthier families and stronger communities.”
City Bank Managing Director and CEO Mashrur Arefin said the initiative reflects the bank’s belief that inclusion must extend beyond finance. “This is not only about employment,” he said. “It is about dignity, independence and leadership. Women trained as pharmacy associates will change their own lives and improve the lives of many others.”
Senior officials from both organisations attended the ceremony, including City Bank Additional Managing Directors Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman and Mahia Juned, and UNFPA Chief of Health Vibhavendra Singh Raghuvanshi.
Organisers said the project will generate hundreds of new jobs for women while providing underserved populations with trusted counselling and access to essential medicines, signalling a new model of public-private partnership in Bangladesh’s health sector.
