DHAKA, May 12, 2025 (BSS) – International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh (ICC-B) today laid emphasis on strengthening SMEs to overcome challenges Bangladesh will face after its graduation from Least Developed Countries (LDCs).  

“SMEs are the backbone of any economy for its growth, development and employment generation. With the graduation to middle income country in 2026, Bangladesh will be facing tight competition from its competitors. Strengthening the SMEs will make immense contributions in the entire supply chain process,” said ICCB Vice President A K Azad.

He said this while inaugurating a workshop on ‘Find and pursue the right standards for your business: A Hands-on workshop with the SME Toolkit in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Trade & Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) and International Trade Centre (ITC)’ in the city, said a press release.

ICCB Secretary General Ataur Rahman moderated the session while ITC Associate Programme Officer DANG Tuan Ducand and Software Engineer Niklas Anders ANDERSSON delivered their presentations on different topics during the workshop.

Azad said Bangladesh also has to be compliance and ensure sustainability for export growth. 

As such today’s workshop has been organized to engage textile, apparel, and footwear manufacturers in the pilot testing of the ITC or ADB Sustainability Standards Navigation Toolkit, he added. 

He said the Toolkit has developed to help SMEs enhance their awareness of sustainability standards, assess their readiness for certification, and receive actionable recommendations for sustainable practices and compliance for export. 

Azad thanked ADB TSCFP and ITC for taking the initiative in developing the toolkit and ensure that ICC Bangladesh will continue to organize workshops for strengthening the capacity of the SMEs to increase their exports. 

 About 40 participants from SMEs including apparels, textiles & leather industries and other corporate houses attended the workshop.