PM opens Centre of Excellence for garment industries

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaking at the inaugural of apparel summit at BICC on Sunday. Photo: TV grab

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the Centre of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industries in Dhaka today.

She opened the centre during the inauguration of the three-day apparel summit in Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, a press release said.

The event is aimed to brighten the image of Bangladesh’s RMG and gain traction for the sector as BGMEA aims to exceed $50 billion export by 2021.

The centre of excellence, supported by International Labour Organisation, Swedish government and BGMEA, will provide competency-based training to RMG workers.

“The Centre of Excellence will help create a better skilled, better paid workforce. The approach aims to effectively meet employers’ needs for skilled staff while at the same time helping workers attain decent work,” said Srinivas B Reddy, ILO country director for Bangladesh.

“In a hugely competitive global market the skills and productivity of the Bangladesh RMG workforce must be strengthened,” said Atiqul Islam, BGMEA president. “We expect to see these centres serve the needs of the RMG sector across Bangladesh,”

“This initiative is an excellent example of how the private and public sectors can join hands to meet the demands of industry and enhance the working conditions and lives of RMG workers,” said Johan Frisell, the ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh.