News Flash
DHAKA, September 7, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam today said there is an opportunity for 10,000 Bangladeshi workers to legally go to Italy every year, while the number stands at 12,000 including their families' members.
He revealed this information while talking to reporters at the Secretariat here after Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro met Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan.
State Minister Mir Shahe Alam and Local Government Division Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan were present at the meeting.
Shahe Alam said there are a large number of illegal immigrants in Italy, while about 60 to 70 percent of the 250,000 Bangladeshis living in Italy are from Shariatpur and Madaripur.
To reduce the risk of illegal migration to Italy by sea, a joint workshop has been proposed in Shariatpur, Madaripur and Faridpur regions with local administration and public representatives, he said.
The state minister said there has been no discussion on legalising those who are living in Italy illegally.
The Ministry of Home Affairs will take action against those who are going illegally through brokers, he said.
He said Italy has also agreed to work on food waste prevention and food security in Bangladesh following the model of Italian Milan city.
Khulna City Corporation has been chosen to this end, he said.
About the outcomes of the today's meeting, the state minister said both sides agreed to increase the skills of Bangladeshi workers, language training and mutual cooperation in environmental management.
An invitation has been extended to train Bangladeshi architects in Italy to improve their skills, he said.
Once a specific list is prepared, the mayors and architects of the city corporations will be sent on this visit, he said.
As part of the exchange of skilled manpower, Italy will send representatives to teach Italian language to Bangladeshi workers and trainers, Shahe Alam said.
About the worker's recruitment in Malaysia, Shahe Alam said the High Commissioner of Malaysia has been requested to recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi workers.
Talking to reporters, the Italian envoy said they discussed trade, migration and friendly relations between the cities of the two countries.
He said although it was a courtesy meeting, there was a fruitful discussion on how to work together to further strengthen the relations between Italy and Bangladesh, he said.
