Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday proposed a BDT 500 crore allocation for a dedicated "Startup Fund" alongside a massive youth employment strategy in the national budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Unveiling the maiden national budget of the present BNP government at the National Parliament this afternoon, the Finance Minister outlined wide-ranging plans aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs, young innovators, and driving sector-based job creation across the country.

BDT 500 Crore Startup Fund to Fuel Innovation

The newly proposed BDT 500 crore allocation is specifically designed to encourage new entrepreneurs in the information technology sector, with a heavy emphasis on supporting women entrepreneurs and young innovators.

This initiative forms part of the government's broader strategy to harness the potential of the country's young population and promote startups, freelancing, and digital entrepreneurship as key drivers of future economic growth.

The Finance Minister stated that the government considers Bangladesh's highly talented and promising youth population as the country's greatest asset and a key driver of development.

He emphasized that special emphasis is being placed on leveraging the skills and innovative capacities of young people to promote startups, freelancing, and digital entrepreneurship.

According to the minister, technology-based training and skills development programmes are being implemented to prepare youth for the global labour market, while the government envisions them taking the lead in creating new employment opportunities.

He noted that the expansion of the ICT and automation-based economy would generate new jobs in the country.

To achieve this, initiatives have been undertaken to formulate a timely and modern startup policy, while various existing startup funds are being consolidated into a unified startup financing mechanism.

The budget speech highlights that one of the government's key objectives is to build an innovative and self-reliant Bangladesh by harnessing the strength of its youth.

The government firmly believes that with adequate support, the talented and creative youth of Bangladesh will be capable of establishing world-class technology hubs in the country comparable to Silicon Valley in the United States, Shenzhen in China, Singapore, or Dubai in the future.

Targeting 2 Lakh Tech Jobs Annually and Grassroots Employment Exchanges

Running parallel to the startup push, the government has given top priority to sector-based employment generation plans.

This is part of its broader strategy to ensure prosperity and self-reliance for every family through comprehensive economic reforms and expanded investment in industry and trade.

The initiative is operating under the guiding principle of “We Will Work, We Will Build the Nation”, aiming to revitalise sectoral and regional economies and create suitable employment opportunities for the country’s youth.

During his budget speech, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government is committed to creating extensive new employment opportunities across the country through coordinated efforts of both the public and private sectors.

He added that these efforts are aimed at increasing both domestic and foreign investment in industry and trade to secure employment opportunities for young people.

To bring order and fairness to the hiring process, the minister announced that the government has taken an initiative to establish an ‘Employment Exchange’ programme at district and upazila levels to ensure a fair and merit-based employment system.

He detailed that registered candidates under the programme will receive support for appointment in vacant positions in different organisations based on merit and skills, while those lacking required skills will be sent to appropriate training centres for capacity building.

The necessary action plans and policy frameworks for this exchange initiative have already begun.

Preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

To successfully address the challenges posed by automation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the government is working on a time-bound action plan to develop a highly skilled workforce.

As part of this youth employment strategy, the government has set a definitive target of creating 2 lakh new jobs annually in the technology sector.

Furthermore, an additional 8 lakh indirect employment opportunities are expected to be generated through freelancing and creative industry training implemented at college and university levels.

To fully support these employment generation efforts, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has already undertaken vital projects to train young people in freelancing, mobile servicing, caregiving, and essential language skills.