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FGD on Industrial Shift in the Post-LDC Era
Experts and policymakers have stressed the need to develop an effective legal and institutional framework to address the challenges of intellectual property protection following Bangladesh’s graduation from the LDC category. They said the changing intellectual property landscape would create new challenges for Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical, readymade garment, information technology, agriculture and other industrial sectors, while also opening up new opportunities for innovation, technological advancement, branding and value addition. To navigate these challenges, they emphasized the need to strengthen the legal and institutional framework, build the capacity of industries, enhance research and development, and strengthen coordination between the government and private sector.
Speakers made these remarks at a focus group discussion on “Industrial Shift in the Post-LDC Era: Strategies for IPR Issues of Key Industries” jointly organized by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), Support to Sustainable Graduation Project (SSGP) and the Economic Relations Division (ERD), was held on September 21, 2026 at the DCCI Auditorium. Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Finance graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
In his introductory remarks A. H. M. Jahangir, Additional Secretary & Project Director, SSGP, Economic Relations Division said that the private sector of Bangladesh would face the most significant challenges in the post LDC era. In this regard, he emphasized the importance of ensuring proper enforcement of intellectual property laws, preparing industries for the transition and formulating necessary policies.
In his welcome address, DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed said that the importance of intellectual property rights for products is continuously increasing in the global economy. A strong intellectual property rights ecosystem is essential for Bangladesh in the post-LDC era, he added. He stated that Bangladesh should focus not only on increasing production in promising sectors such as pharmaceuticals and readymade garments but also on innovation, branding, technology transfer and value addition. The DCCI President identified several major challenges, including structural delays in the existing intellectual property rights system, inadequate institutional coordination, a lack of necessary policies, limited institutional capacity, and above all insufficient awareness of intellectual property rights among the private sector. He proposed establishing a modern and effective intellectual property rights office, launching IP tribunals in Dhaka and Chattogram for speedy dispute resolution, introducing an automated digital system for trademark registration, recruiting trained manpower and creating greater awareness among entrepreneurs, particularly SME entrepreneurs, regarding intellectual property rights.
Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky said that locally produced goods have significant demand in the domestic market-- while there will also be considerable potential for exporting these products if their designs and quality can be further improved. He noted that although budget allocations exist for research, these funds are not always being utilized. At the same time, there are also allegations that adequate allocations are not available for research. He said that this indicates a lack of coordination which needs to be addressed.
The ERD Secretary said that the government is announcing a special fund for the SME sector. However, he emphasized that enhancing entrepreneurs’ capacity and ensuring sustainable development would be essential for effectively implementing such allocations.He further said that the government is working through the SSGP project to provide sector-specific technical assistance, and that necessary amendments and reforms would be made to the relevant policies to this end. However, he stressed that the private sector would also have to come forward. The ERD Secretary also said that initiatives have been taken to bring all government services under digital operations, which are expected to be launched soon.
The keynote paper was presented by Mohammad Ataul Karim, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford & Former Consultant at WIPO Academy. In his presentation he emphasized the need for Bangladesh’s industries to make strategic use of intellectual property rights (IPR) to adapt to the changing realities of the post-LDC era. He noted that TRIPS and potential TRIPS-plus obligations could pose new challenges for sectors such as pharmaceuticals, software and IT, agriculture and industrial design, while also creating opportunities for innovation, technological advancement and industrial transformation. He stressed the importance of making effective use of the existing legal flexibilities available to Bangladesh on IPR, while strengthening research and development, industry-academia collaboration and incentives for innovation.
In the panel discussion session, Md. Jahangir Hossain, Director General, Department of Patents, Industrial Designs and Trademarks (DPDT); S M Arshad Imam, Copyright Registrar (Additional Secretary), Copyright Office Bangladesh; Abdul Baki, Project Adviser (SSGP) & Former Secretary, GoB; Dr. Saif Uddin Ahammad, Joint Secretary, Trade Support Measures Wing, Ministry of Commerce; Dr. Abureza M Muzareba, Professor, Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Studies, University of Dhaka; KSM Mostafizur Rahman, President, Bangladesh Agrochemical Manufacturers Association (BAMA); Major General Dr. Md. Shahedul Islam (Retd), Secretary General, BGMEA; Md Azizur Rahman FCS, Director General, Intellectual Property Association of Bangladesh (IPAB); Raisul Kabir, Founder & CEO, Brain Station 23 Limited; and Faez Ahmed, Deputy General Manager, Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd., among others, spoke at the event.
Md. Jahangir Hossain, Director General, DPDT said that to overcome the challenges of the post-LDC period, it is essential for each industrial sector to formulate its own action plan and ensure appropriate initiatives and support from relevant government agencies.
Abdul Baki, Project Adviser (SSGP) & Former Secretary, GoB said that the extended timeframe for LDC graduation should be utilized effectively through greater coordination among all relevant government agencies and close collaboration with the private sector.
Major General Dr. Md. Shahedul Islam (Retd), Secretary General, BGMEA said that effective enforcement of Bangladesh’s own intellectual property laws and the provision of incentives and support to entrepreneurs are essential for addressing the challenges following LDC graduation. He said that BGMEA has already established a Centre of Excellence, where to new product design and intellectual property in the readymade garment sector will be undertaken.
KSM Mostafizur Rahman, President, Bangladesh Agrochemical Manufacturers Association (BAMA) called for the agrochemical sector to be identified as a priority sector and for the formulation of effective and up-to-date policies.
Raisul Kabir, Founder & CEO, Brain Station 23 Limited said that Bangladesh cannot achieve future success by focusing solely on outsourcing without giving adequate priority to new technology innovation. He emphasized the need to focus more on innovation in the information technology sector and called for stronger coordination between academia and industry, as well as greater attention to IP security and effective enforcement of intellectual property laws.
Faez Ahmed, Deputy General Manager, Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd. stated that if international intellectual property rights are strictly enforced in the domestic pharmaceutical market in the post-LDC era, medicine prices could increase significantly, potentially placing an additional burden on consumers. He emphasized the need to take this issue into consideration while also stressing that there is no alternative to strengthening technological capabilities in the sector.
Md Azizur Rahman FCS, Director General, Intellectual Property Association of Bangladesh (IPAB) emphasized the importance of creative engineering, building brands for locally developed products, improving human resource skills and developing and adopting new technologies.
Dr. Abureza M Muzareba, Professor, Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Studies, University of Dhaka called for stronger public-private collaboration in developing new products and technologies. He also emphasized the importance of obtaining Geographical Indication (GI) status for locally produced products and ensuring their commercialization.
Members of the DCCI Board of Directors, along with representatives from various public and private institutions were also present during the event.
Published on: 2026-09-21