Bangladesh’s national strategy for robotics

The National Strategy for Robotics by the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, published in September 2020, sets forth a comprehensive roadmap for integrating robotics into the national development agenda. Recognising robotics as a central force of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the policy addresses the dual nature of robotics—as a disruptor of labor-centric industries and a catalyst for technological advancement and economic transformation.

This strategy acknowledges the urgent need to balance automation’s productivity gains with employment security and social welfare. It positions robotics as a critical enabler in driving forward national objectives, including GDP growth, industrial diversification, youth empowerment, and higher-value service exports. The policy also aims to prepare Bangladesh for global competition by building local innovation ecosystems, expanding the robotics industry, and ensuring the country does not merely consume robotic technologies but becomes a contributor to their development and global supply.

The scope of the strategy extends across sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, logistics, and education. It also addresses skill development, R&D capacity, industry-academia collaboration, and local production capabilities. By prioritising intelligent adaptation rather than wholesale importation of robotic solutions, the strategy emphasises contextual, sustainable, and inclusive growth through robotics.

Goals

• Blend Bangladesh’s labour advantage with robotics to maintain and enhance competitiveness in existing industries.
• Enable Bangladesh’s entry into the manufacturing of high-value, miniaturised, complex products requiring precision and reliability beyond human skill.
• Promote creativity, imagination, and innovation among youth, particularly in robotics-based entrepreneurs.
• Support the development of a robotics industry focused on R&D, innovation, customisation, maintenance, and manufacturing.
• Create opportunities for service exports through remote robotic collaboration.
• Develop a highly skilled workforce for robot operation, programming, maintenance, repair, and innovation.
• Harness robotics to advance Bangladesh’s role in the fourth industrial revolution, especially in agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing.
• Anticipate and reduce skill gaps through strategic foresight and upskilling of the workforce.

Focus areas

• Integration of robotics in labor-intensive sectors to increase efficiency and precision
• Human resource development targeting robotics operation, programming, redesign, and maintenance.
• Strengthening collaboration among government, academia, industry, and startups for innovation.
• Development of indigenous robotics products and services with high local value addition.
• Deployment of robotics in strategic sectors such as furniture manufacturing, food processing, and textile production.
• Use of robotics in service industries such as healthcare, logistics, and elderly care.
• Preparation of the future workforce through STEM education using robotics at the school level.
• Mitigation of job displacement through redeployment strategies and remote service delivery models.