The Consortium for Development Policy Research (CDPR) and the International Growth Centre (IGC) hosted an intimate round-table discussion on 26th December at the CDPR office which was attended by senior members of the private sector. The objective of the discussion was to illustrate and discuss Pakistan and Bangladesh’s Performance in comparison to each other; both pitfalls and the opportunities.

Dr. Sadiq shared key insights from Bangladesh’s growth experience highlighting what led to the country’s rising performance at a time when Pakistan’s growth started stunting. He attributed the growth mainly to the following three key areas; human capital development, investment in gender empowerment and building exports. His presentation was followed by a rich Q&A session where participants enquired about the role Bangladesh’s private sector played in facilitating the country’s growth and had a candid conversation on whether similar actions could be taken by Pakistan given the country’s unique constraints and circumstances.

The discussion drew upon the following presentation:

Bangladesh Development Performance — Progress and Emerging Challenges December 2023