BKMEA and Swisscontact have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today at the BKMEA Dhaka office, marking the beginning of a collaborative journey to foster inclusive and sustainable growth in Bangladesh’s knitwear sector.
The signatories are Mr. Akhter Hossain Apurbo, vice president, BKMEA and Ms. Bidowra Tahmin Khan, team leader, InSPIRE, Swisscontact Bangladesh.
Mohammad Rashed, vice president, BKMEA; Mihazul Hoque, director, BKMEA; Salma Akhter, Advisor – Advocacy and KEL, PROGRESS & InSPIRE, Swisscontact and the officials from both organizations were present at the program.  
This agreement cements cooperation across three of Swisscontact’s flagship initiatives:
• PROGRESS (Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector through Skills), supported by the Embassy of Sweden and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
• InSPIRE (Initiative to Stimulate Private Investment for Resource Efficiency), funded by the Embassy of Sweden to encourage clean energy solutions and greater energy efficiency in the industry
• BYETS (Building Youth Employability through Skills), funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands which equips young people with technical and soft skills in RMG.
These initiatives operate across the key manufacturing hubs including Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chattogram.
Areas of these joint collaboration will include upskilling of women and youth, improved environmental and social standards, promotion of renewable energy adoption and coordinated outreach to strengthen factory-level sustainability and resilience.
The MoU marks a pivotal step in reinforcing sustainability standards in the knitwear industry – a sector that remains a key driver of Bangladesh’s economic growth and global export strength.