A three-day Bangladesh Light Engineering Expo 2026 will begin in the capital on February 2, aiming to enhance the competitiveness and export capacity of the country’s fast-growing light engineering sector.

The expo, organised by the Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners Association (BEIOA) with support from the Ministry of Commerce and the World Bank-backed Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J) project, wiould be held at the Shaheed Abu Sayeed International Convention Centre from February 2 to 4.

Speaking at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Sunday, BEIOA president Md Abdur Razzaque said the event would showcase domestic industrial capabilities, reduce import dependence and create opportunities for accessing global markets.

The exhibition will be open daily from 11:00am to 7:00pm and will feature construction and agricultural machinery, automobile components, electrical goods, textile and jute machinery parts, dies and moulds, and other engineering products.

More than 50 booths will display innovations from local enterprises.

Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman will inaugurate the expo as chief guest, while senior government officials, representatives of business bodies, local and foreign buyers, investors and entrepreneurs are expected to attend.

Abdur Razzaque said the light engineering sector employs over 300,000 skilled workers through around 50,000 small and medium enterprises and contributes nearly 3 per cent to GDP.

Local producers meet almost half of the country’s $8.2 billion domestic demand for engineering products, though dependence on imported machinery and components remains high.

He noted that Bangladesh’s light engineering exports currently stand at about $795 million, with the potential to reach $12.56 billion by 2030 with policy support, technological upgrading and investment.

Two seminars will be held alongside the expo, focusing on post-LDC graduation competitiveness and the role of research and innovation.

The BEIOA president also called for rationalisation of duties on raw materials, improved access to finance, technology transfer, skills development and a simpler patent and design registration system to support sustainable growth of the sector.