The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), in collaboration with the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, and the Economics Study Centre (ESC), organised a seminar on 21 May 2026 titled ‘Recommendations for the National Budget FY2026–27.’
The seminar was organised as part of “CPD’s University Connect Programme” in partnership with the Embassy of Denmark.
The seminar was chaired by Dr Firdousi Naher, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka. Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, CPD was the special guest of the seminar. Students and faculty members of the Department of Economics were present at the seminar. Among others, Professor Masuda Yasmeen, Department of Economics; Dr Rumana Huque, Professor, Department of Economics; Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha, Professor, Department of Economics; Dr M Niaz Asadullah, Professor, Department of Economics; Dr S. M Abdullah, Associate Professor, Department of Economics; Dr Rubaiya Murshed, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics; Mr Md. Saiful Islam, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics; Mr Sayed Jubair Bin Hossain, Lecturer, Department of Economics; and Mr Mahmudul Hasan, Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka were also present at the seminar. The keynote presentation was delivered by Mr Md. Takrim Hossain, Research Associate, CPD and Ms Sumiya Rahman, Research Associate, CPD.
Opening the seminar, Dr Firdousi Naher welcomed the CPD team to the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka. She appreciated CPD’s initiative to engage with university students and noted that such events would be highly valuable for young learners. She further highlighted that the discussions on the national budget would help students connect their academic learning with current policy debates and understand how economic decisions affect people’s lives.
In her opening remarks, Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of CPD, mentioned that CPD encourages university students to engage in policy discussions, research, and economic analysis beyond the classroom. She emphasised that such initiatives help students relate theoretical knowledge to real-world applications and gain a deeper understanding of Bangladesh’s development challenges. She also mentioned that CPD has been engaging students across the country through various events. CPD’s University Connect Programme will reach out to students of university around the country.
The keynote presentation focused on CPD’s recommendations for the National Budget FY2026-27, highlighting the need for a realistic and people-centred budget amid Bangladesh’s ongoing macroeconomic challenges. The keynote presentation highlighted the economic challenges the country is facing. These include lower revenue mobilisation, slow budget implementation, persistent high inflation, external sector pressures, LDC graduation, investment slowdown, and employment generation. It also underscored the importance of targeted fiscal measures to protect vulnerable groups, strengthen economic stability, and support long-term development.
Following the keynote presentation, an interactive online poll titled “People’s Pulse” was conducted. The session was moderated by Mr Foqoruddin Al Kabir, Senior Research Associate, CPD. The poll explored students’ views on priority sectors for the national budget, recommendations for ensuring accountable and efficient budget implementation, the major economic challenges for Bangladesh, and challenges faced by graduates entering the job market.
The online poll was followed by an open floor discussion and a question-and-answer session. Students raised questions and shared their views on a wide range of economic and development issues. Students actively participated in discussions on the current economic issues including the national budget, employment opportunities, governance, inflation, trade, health, education, agriculture, and social protection.
During the discussion, Dr Fahmida Khatun shared her insight on macroeconomic challenges, revenue mobilisation, trade, and Bangladesh-US reciprocal tariff issues. She emphasised the importance of prudent fiscal measures so that some macroeconomic challenges are addressed.
Dr Firdousi Naher discussed issues related to agriculture and social protection, stressing the need for greater support to the agriculture sector and the integration of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, to improve productivity, efficiency, and resilience.
Dr Rumana Huque emphasised the need for increasing budgetary allocation for health sector. She also highlighted the importance of giving greater attention to urban health and climate change-related health concerns in future policy discussions.
Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha discussed labour and employment issues. She emphasised the importance of strengthening education-employment linkages in Bangladesh to better prepare students for the job market. She also highlighted the need to address the challenges that graduates face while entering the job market.
Dr S. M Abdullah emphasised on increasing taxes on harmful public goods including tobacco and smokeless tobacco. He further mentioned that taxation can be an important tool for both public health protection and revenue mobilisation.
Dr Rubaiya Murshed shared her insight on the education sector. She noted that simply increasing budgetary allocation for education is not sufficient. The proper distribution and effective implementation of the education budget is crucial. She emphasised the need for an evidence-based approach in budget allocation and implementation.
The seminar concluded with closing remarks from Dr Firdousi Naher. She appreciated CPD’s initiative to bring national policy discussions closer to university students. She highlighted that such engagement should be continued to help students develop stronger analytical understanding of Bangladesh’s economy and public policy.
