Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir presided over the 62nd board meeting of BFTI today. Photo: PID

DHAKA, May 12, 2026 (BSS)– Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir today announced that the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) will be transformed into an effective, modern and sustainable institution to strengthen the country’s international trade capacity.

“The BFTI is being developed as a self-sustaining knowledge centre with the objective of attaining full financial independence in the future,” he said. 

The minister made the remarks while presiding over the 62nd board meeting of the institute held at the ministry’s conference room in the city, said a press release.

Highlighting the growing complexity of global commerce, Muktadir said a permanent expert panel would be formed under the BFTI comprising experienced trade specialists, legal experts and researchers from both the public and private sectors.

The panel will provide support in areas including World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanisms, trade policy analysis and negotiations relating to bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, he added.

“We want to develop BFTI as a permanent and effective resource base,” the minister said, adding that the institute’s expert support would play an important role in safeguarding national interests during international trade negotiations.

As part of broader institutional reforms, the board approved a recommendation for appointing a qualified Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to ensure dynamic leadership of the organisation.

The meeting also decided to introduce post-graduate diploma programmes in international trade, trade law and trade policy research under the BFTI, subject to approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC). 

The programmes are aimed at developing skilled professionals in specialised trade-related disciplines.

The board further stressed the need to expand the institute’s research activities, strengthen training capabilities and establish collaborative research networks at both national and international levels.

Among others, the meeting was attended by Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, secretary (routine duty) of the Ministry of Commerce; Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD); Md. Obaidur Rahman, secretary of the Ministry of Industries; Md. Nazrul Islam, rector of the Foreign Service Academy; Mohammad Hassan Arif, vice chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB); Md. Abdul Gafur, Chairman of the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission; Mahbubur Rahman, President of ICC Bangladesh; Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu, President of BGMEA; Taskin Ahmed, President of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI); Kamran T Rahman, President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI); and Dr. Saif Uddin Ahmed, CEO of BFTI.