Speech Script
"Good morning, respected teacher and classmates.
Building on our team's analysis of Bangladesh’s internal assets, my part evaluates where
Bangladesh stands when benchmarked against real regional competitors.
When global investors choose where to allocate capital, Bangladesh does not operate in a
vacuum. Singapore sits at 1st in logistics worldwide, while Vietnam commands thirteen times
our total FDI stock due to high-value, tech-integrated manufacturing. Meanwhile, India
dominates in market scale and IT, and Malaysia leads in digital banking and advanced
electronics.
So where does Bangladesh actually stand?
Our core strength is undeniable: we are the world’s second-largest garment exporter, backed by
over 230 LEED-certified green factories—the highest number globally. However, our biggest
bottleneck is logistics and institutional efficiency. Ranking 88th on the World Bank Logistics
Performance Index, with FDI standing at less than 0.5% of GDP, foreign investors continue to
face infrastructure delays and policy unpredictability.
Our conclusion is very clear: attempting to become the 'Singapore of South Asia' is a flawed
strategy because we lack that level of institutional sophistication. Instead, Bangladesh’s realistic
strategic path is to build directly around our existing manufacturing powerhouse—upgrading
supplier capacity and diversifying into technical textiles, light engineering, and agro-processing.
Before we look at our team's final strategic options, let me ask you all a quick question: If you
were a foreign investor with $50 million, would you prioritize cheap labor in Bangladesh, or
superior logistics in Vietnam?
Thank you, and I now hand over to the next speaker."