Young people must have a meaningful role in Bangladesh’s political, economic and social transformation if the aspirations of the July uprising are to translate into lasting change, speakers said at a webinar on Saturday.
The remarks came at the eighth episode of the Power and Participation Research Centre’s (PPRC) “Ajker Agenda” webinar, which focused on the aspirations, capabilities and challenges facing the country’s youth amid calls for political renewal, economic opportunity and social reform.
Tajnuva Jabeen, an organizer of the National Organizing Committee of Alternatives, said the July uprising had renewed political interest among young people and created an opportunity to challenge the stigma surrounding youth participation in politics.
“July reawakened something powerful — political interest among the youth,” she said, stressing the need to encourage professionals, including doctors, engineers and bankers, to enter politics.
She said a decentralized political system would be essential to building a better Bangladesh over the next 10 to 15 years.
Sakib Hossain, CEO of Fashol, highlighted the technology and information gaps affecting Bangladesh’s agriculture sector, particularly farmers’ dependence on intermediaries and uncertainty over access to markets.
Drawing on his experience of founding Fashol in 2019, he said young entrepreneurs could use technology to address long-standing problems in the agricultural sector.
“As a young entrepreneur, I saw technology transforming every industry except the one that feeds our nation,” he said, adding that youth-led innovation could help address gaps that previous generations had been unable to close.
Agri-entrepreneur and content creator Umma Kulsum Popi said agriculture remains one of Bangladesh’s most promising sectors, despite many young people viewing farming as a low-income and low-status profession.
“Ninety percent of our youth avoid farming, chasing careers with more income and respect,” she said, arguing that Bangladesh’s fertile soil could provide young people with opportunities to build sustainable livelihoods.
Daw Sing Nue Marma, team lead of TONGDAINGNEY, highlighted the role of youth networks and technology-supported education in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
She said young people could help overcome language and geographic barriers and take education to communities through non-formal and nature-based approaches.
“Education needs to be reoriented to foster creativity, nurture values and expose young people to real-life issues,” she said.
Advocate Khalequzzaman said meaningful institutional change would require reforming the legal and administrative foundations of the state, including laws inherited from the colonial era.
He also criticized what he described as setbacks to judicial reform, saying a new generation of political leaders was needed to carry forward the push for systemic change.
Munim Mubashshir said the period following July 2024 had exposed a gap between young people’s contributions to the uprising and their participation in subsequent decision-making.
“So many young people who bled for July had the vision and ability to help rebuild this nation, but were never given a seat at the table,” he said.
He called for greater inclusion of young people in shaping the country’s future, saying their sacrifices should be followed by meaningful participation in national affairs.
Summing up the discussion, PPRC Chairman and session moderator Hossain Zillur Rahman said the desire for change that emerged from July was one of Bangladesh’s greatest strengths.
But turning that aspiration into lasting reform would require action across institutional spaces, from grassroots initiatives to broader structural reforms, he said.
“Young people are wide awake to this desire for change,” Hossain Zillur said. “The real question is whether we’re giving them the right environment and right opportunities to contribute.”