Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said Bangladesh is lifting vulnerable populations from the self-perpetuating cycle of poverty.
Noting that the empowerment of women is crucial to Bangladesh’s emergence as a vibrant and modern nation, Joy illustrated a set of initiatives undertaken by her mother to help Bangladesh break the poverty cycle and appear as a rising star in South Asia.
In an opinion piece that appeared on foreignnews.org, he revealed the amazing track record of Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina when it comes to turning around millions of lives as poor people got caught in a self-perpetuating cycle for a long part of the country’s history.
“Between 2009 and 2020, Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita rose from $710 to $2,064. HSBC Bank recently predicted that Bangladesh would be the 26th-largest economy in the world by 2030 due in large part to its sustained GDP growth of roughly 6% during the last 20 years.”
Moreover, in reference to Bangladesh’s earlier introduction to the world as a country with limited resources, Joy said.
He said: “That time has changed and so did the fate of the people of this country, thanks to the prudent model shown by Sheikh Hasina.
“According to the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index 2021, Bangladesh has made major progress in narrowing gender disparities. While much work remains to be done, Bangladeshi women enjoy greater economic opportunities than ever.”
Bangladesh continues to grow both economically and socially in large part because of its commitment to improving the status of women.
He mentioned that the country’s poverty rate dropped from 47.5% in 1996 to 20.5% in 2020.
“Bangladesh’s rate of extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 per person per day, decreased from 19.3% in 2009 to 10.5% in 2020,” he observed.
The World Bank recently praised Bangladesh’s “remarkable progress in economic development,” and “described it as a model for poverty reduction.”
Pointing to the Ashrayan Project, an initiative undertaken by Sheikh Hasina to provide homes for the homeless, Joy pointed out that this step has been paying dividends through “connecting disparate rural regions, many of which are flourishing.”