BGMEA, Swisscontact partner to drive sustainable growth in RMG sector

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Swisscontact have joined hands to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in the country’s readymade garment (RMG) sector.

To this end, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sunday at the BGMEA headquarters in Uttara, Dhaka, according to an official statement.

The MoU formalises collaboration under three flagship projects implemented by Swisscontact – PROGRESS (Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector through Skills), InSPIRE (Initiative to Stimulate Private Investment for Resource Efficiency) and BYETS (Building Youth Employability through Skills).

The first two projects are funded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) while the third by the Embassy of the Netherlands respectively.

The MoU brings together BGMEA’s industry reach and Swisscontact’s development expertise to collaborate and promote sustainability focusing on skills development for women and youth, environmental and social compliance, clean energy adoption, and joint outreach to support factory-level transformation in the RMG sector, added the statement.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ikramul H Sohel, Senior Programme Officer – Inclusive Economic Development at the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, said, ‘The Swedish government prioritises empowering MSMEs and advancing gender equality within the RMG sector. We believe this partnership between Swisscontact and BGMEA will bring these priorities to life by catalysing meaningful, long-term change that benefits both workers and businesses.’

BGMEA Administrator Anwar Hossain said ‘This MoU reflects our commitment to strengthening Bangladesh’s RMG sector by enhancing competitiveness through innovation, workforce development, and sustainability. We look forward to working with Swisscontact to create tangible impact across the industry.’

‘We are excited to join hands with BGMEA to scale our efforts in making the RMG sector more resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable,’ said Ishrat Fatema, Deputy Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh.

BGMEA newly elected senior vice president Inamul Haq Khan Bablu and its Support Committee members Asif Ashraf and ANM Saifuddin were also present there.