Calling logistics a foundational pillar of modern economies, Syed Ershad Ahmed, President of AmCham Bangladesh, said efficient logistics systems are essential for sustaining supply chains, supporting economic growth, and ensuring the continuity of everyday life.
The global logistics landscape is being rapidly reshaped by forces such as AI and automation, decarbonization and fuel transitions, geopolitics, regionalization, and supply chain resilience, and stressed the need to bridge existing knowledge and capacity gaps to better support the country’s growing trade and investment needs, he said.
The AmCham President made the remarks at a focus group discussion titled “Framing the Logistics Sector Landscape: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward,” held at a city hotel on Tuesday.
Drawing on over three decades of professional experience, he noted that while Bangladesh’s logistics sector has evolved, it continues to lag behind regional competitors and remains poorly understood domestically.
M. Masrur Reaz, Chairman, Policy Exchange Bangladesh, highlighted key challenges and opportunities in Bangladesh’s logistics sector, affirming its critical role in trade competitiveness through cost reduction, faster delivery, and efficiency gains.
Referring to the Chattogram port labor strike, he illustrated how logistics disruptions can severely impact the national economy, noting that logistics infrastructure and port capacity expansion will be crucial to supporting the projected GDP of USD 760 billion by 2030, while a 1% reduction in logistics costs could increase exports by around 7%, particularly as Bangladesh approaches LDC graduation.
He also identified major implementation gaps in the National Logistics Policy, including government monopolies in rail and air cargo, weak inter-ministerial coordination, and the absence of central logistics authority.
Seasoned entrepreneur Mahbubul Anam, Managing Director of CF Global, outlined key challenges in air logistics and express courier operations, emphasizing the need for stronger public–private coordination, supportive policy frameworks, stakeholder-informed infrastructure planning, and adequate equipment.
He stressed the importance of cost rationalization, capacity expansion, efficient courier services, and robust contingency arrangements to support time-sensitive shipments, particularly as e-commerce-driven demand for express logistics continues to grow.
He noted that logistics costs at Dhaka airport are 20–25% higher than those of road transport and underscored that stronger public–private cooperation is essential to address these constraints.
Nusrat Nahid Babi, Senior Transport Specialist, South Asia, The World Bank, said that Bangladesh’s logistics reform momentum since 2022 must be reaffirmed by the new government through clear priorities and high-level consensus.
She outlined a phased reform agenda structured around five thematic pillars: policy and procedural simplification; multimodal logistics infrastructure and connectivity; skills and institutional capacity development; supply-chain digitalization; and investment in logistics.
Other speakers and the overall discussion emphasized the need to move decisively from policy intent to implementation, including ratification of the National Logistics Policy 2025, supported by a clear execution roadmap.
Md. Moinul Huq, Citi Country Officer, Bangladesh Citibank, N.A., highlighted the urgent need for customs authorities to operationalise provisions of the Customs Act 2023 by clearly defining electronic document submission and payment modalities.
Participants expressed concern about the heavy dependence on RMG exports, slow progress in new infrastructure development, and poor implementation of electronic documentation despite the presence of enabling policies.
