Salehuddin Urges Unity to Overcome Economic Challenges

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has called for unified efforts to overcome the growing challenges facing Bangladesh’s economy.

“We are in the midst of all sorts of challenges,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at the national finals of the Bangladesh Economics Olympiad 2025, held at Dhaka Residential Model College in the capital.

The event was chaired by Hossain Zillur Rahman, Chairman of the organising committee of the Olympiad and a former caretaker government adviser.

In his speech, Hossain Zillur Rahman described economics as an applied science and stressed the need to popularise the subject at school and college levels. “This year, 20,000 students participated. The Bangladesh Economics Olympiad is becoming a key platform of interest each year,” he noted.

Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Fahmida Khatun pointed out that although Bangladesh’s growth rate has increased by 1% per decade, the benefits have not reached all citizens.

“This uneven distribution has widened inequality. The growth has also been insufficient in generating employment, and youth unemployment continues to rise. Over the past two and a half years, people have faced persistent high inflation. When economic decisions are guided by one-sided political agendas, society moves backward,” she said.

In the keynote speech, City Bank Managing Director Masrur Arefin said corruption and irregularities in the banking sector had largely come to a halt in the past nine months.

“Money laundering has stopped — that is a significant achievement. However, political unrest is resurfacing,” he added.

The seventh edition of the Bangladesh Economics Olympiad concluded with five students being recognised at the national level from among 20,000 participants. They were awarded smartphones and laptops and will represent Bangladesh at the upcoming International Economics Olympiad in Azerbaijan.