Building a bridge to global e-commerce

There is little room for complacency when assessing Bangladesh's position in the evolving landscape of global digital trade. While some progress has been made in digitising domestic trading processes, the broader adoption of e-commerce across the full spectrum of trade-related activities remains largely out of reach for most businesses, particularly those aspiring to operate in international markets. Experience has shown that prioritising digitisation as a policy objective, without simultaneously building the necessary skills and institutional capacity, yields limited results. Technology alone cannot drive transformation; people and systems that can effectively deploy it are the true catalysts of change.

This critical gap was brought into sharp focus at a recent policy dialogue in Dhaka organised by the Global Bangladeshi Alliance (GBA), a diaspora-led platform formed by US-based technology professionals, entrepreneurs and policymakers. The event marked GBA's first on-the-ground engagement in Bangladesh since its formation four months ago and sought to present an economy-focused roadmap for integrating the country into global digital trade while preparing its workforce for an era of rapid automation. In a joint presentation, GBA leaders cautioned that without urgent reforms to cross-border e-commerce and skills development, Bangladesh risks becoming a "digital island"-connected in name, but isolated in practice. At the heart of their proposal was the "Amazon Economy" blueprint, an export diversification strategy designed to empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by providing them with direct digital access to global consumers. By integrating international payment gateways and global online marketplaces, the plan envisions a seamless "click-to-cash" system that would allow local entrepreneurs to bypass costly intermediaries. Such a shift could enable SMEs to sell niche and value-added products directly to international buyers, broadening the country's export base beyond its traditional reliance on a few dominant sectors. Equally compelling was the second pillar of the roadmap, which addressed the looming disruption posed by artificial intelligence and automation. With an estimated 40 per cent of low-skill jobs at risk over the next five years, GBA leaders urged policymakers to rethink the long-standing model of "exporting labour" and instead focus on "exporting skills." At the same time, the call for internationally recognised technical certifications highlights the need to ensure that Bangladeshi workers remain competitive in a rapidly changing global job market.

The dialogue reinforced the urgent need to align education and training systems with global demand, particularly in technology-fuelled services where growth potential remains strong. Organisers noted that GBA would continue engaging with policymakers, the US-Bangladesh caucus, and other stakeholders to contribute to policy development across trade, investment, technology, healthcare and the emerging "new economy." 

Building a robust e-commerce ecosystem supported by skilled human capital is no longer optional-it is a strategic necessity. There are no shortcuts to this transformation; it requires sustained, systematic investment in human resource development. In this context, the GBA initiative is both timely and welcome. It is incumbent upon the government and relevant agencies to come forward with meaningful support for such efforts, ensuring that Bangladesh does not miss the opportunity to secure its place in the global digital economy.