Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in taking more skilled workers from Bangladesh. Also, the doors will be opened for Bangladeshi businessmen interested in investing in the country.
Saudi Arabia has numerous investment sectors such as infrastructure, building construction, agriculture, textiles, fishing and ranching. It has been informed that any sector of these should be kept open for investment by Bangladeshis.
Ahead of the Saudi visit of Bangladeshi business leaders, Riyadh's ambassador to Dhaka, Essa Al-Duhailan, announced such a decision on Tuesday (July 25). This news has been reported in a report of Arab News.
Ambassador Essa Al-Duhailan said that Bangladeshis are the largest expatriate labor community in Saudi Arabia. He said that currently 28 lakh Bangladeshis are staying in the country and Bangladeshi workers are well-known as skilled and hardworking.
He said, wherever you go in Saudi Arabia, you will see a Bangladeshi. At various events, they expressed their income and prosperity and thanked Saudi Arabia and the Saudi people. Many of them are loyal to Saudi Arabia.
He also said that the government and people of Saudi Arabia are well aware of their efforts. They are participating in the development of Saudi Arabia.
According to the report of Arab News, several mega projects such as Neom city or the development of the Red Sea coast currently require a large number of skilled manpower in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the country's authorities are giving more and more opportunities to foreign workers.
The Saudi ambassador said, we have a digital platform, we have new infrastructure, we have megaprojects. We need skilled workers for this mega project. We welcome all types of professionals to work in Saudi Arabia in various sectors.
He further said, I am requesting the concerned authorities and Bangladeshis for various types of training and it will benefit both countries. We will get skilled workers and Bangladesh will also invest in Bangladeshi citizens.
However, Saudi Arabia is already one of the major sources of remittance flows for Bangladesh. The salary of professionals in the country is significantly higher than that of semi-skilled workers.
Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh signed the Manpower Recruitment and Skills Verification Program agreement earlier this year, with Al-Duhailan predicting that those employed under the scheme would at least double their earnings.
Ambassador Al-Duhailan said that the delegation of top Bangladeshi business leaders will visit Saudi Arabia this month or August. Apart from meeting Chamber of Commerce leaders in Saudi Arabia, they will also observe market opportunities there.
He said, Saudi Arabia has huge opportunities. Any Bangladeshi can invest there in any case. Saudi Arabia has numerous investment sectors such as infrastructure, building construction, agriculture, textiles, fisheries and farms.
Ambassador Al-Duhailan said that there are investment opportunities in the plastic and furniture industries. For this reason, he urged traders to visit the market.