Canada is looking to help Bangladesh enhance its competitiveness in the global market by improving its supply chain ecosystem, according to the country’s Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for International Trade and Chief Trade Commissioner, Sara Wilshaw.
Her remarks came during a meeting between the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Ajit Singh, held at the DCCI Gulshan Centre in Dhaka.
Wilshaw said that Canada aimed to support Bangladesh in building a stronger supply chain structure to better position the country internationally. She noted that most Canadian companies are small and medium-sized enterprises, and highlighted that around 75% of Canada’s exports — along with the majority of its outbound and inbound foreign direct investment — involve the United States. She said this underlined the importance of diversifying export markets and product categories to remain competitive globally.
High Commissioner Singh stressed the significance of direct engagement between business communities, saying that stronger chamber-to-chamber links were essential to expanding commercial relations. He said the private sector remained the engine of Bangladesh’s growth, and that Canada was keen to deepen its trade ties with the country. He added that there were substantial opportunities to elevate bilateral trade in the coming years.
DCCI acting president Razeev H Chowdhury said bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Canada reached US $ 2.22 billion in the 2023–24 financial year, with Bangladesh exporting goods worth US $ 1.32 billion to Canada and importing US $ 901.09 million in return. He said Canada ranked as Bangladesh’s 20th-largest source of foreign direct investment, with cumulative Canadian investment standing at US $ 132.83 million.
Chowdhury said there was considerable potential for Canadian investors in sectors such as renewable energy, green technology, waste management, automotive components, education, healthcare, financial services, IT and digital infrastructure, smart logistics, warehousing and cold-chain systems.
He also said Canada could expand sourcing from Bangladesh across categories including leather goods, jute products, handicrafts, bicycles, high-end ready-made garments, ceramics, furniture, pharmaceuticals, processed and frozen foods, software and business process outsourcing services.
DCCI vice-president Md Salim Sulaiman, members of the chamber’s board, and Debra Boyce, Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner at the Canadian High Commission, were also present at the meeting.
