Ahamedul-Karim-Chowdhury | Daily Observer

Why our N region's industrial future depends on rail-based logistics

Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

For much of Bangladesh's history, the northern districts symbolized hardship. Seasonal hunger-once known simply as Monga-was not an abstraction but a recurring reality, defining life in places like Nilphamari, Rangpur, Kurigram, and Dinajpur. Today, that narrative has fundamentally changed. What replaced despair was not charity or handouts, but industrial employment, local enterprise, and steady income. ...

Why our ceramic industry heavily relies on imported gas

Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

Bangladesh's ceramic industry should be celebrated as one of the nation's most resilient manufacturing success stories. Built not on preferential state patronage or heavy subsidies, but on the sheer determination of private entrepreneurs, the sector today commands a domestic market estimated at Tk 8,000 crore. With a cluster of more than 80 factories employing hundreds ...

Why Bangladesh is losing global leather markets

Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

For more than a decade, Bangladesh's leather sector has been trapped in a cruel paradox of abundance and neglect. Every year, especially after Eid-ul-Azha, millions of raw hides are generated as a by-product of religious sacrifice. A decade ago, a single cowhide fetched Tk. 1,800 to Tk. 2,000, providing dignity and survival for poor households, ...

How Padma Bridge helping revive Mongla Port

Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

For decades, Mongla Port remained an underutilized asset in Bangladesh's maritime infrastructure, overshadowed by the dominant Chattogram Port. Ships arrived infrequently, cranes sat idle, and silt slowly accumulated in the river channels. For traders, Mongla was often an afterthought-used only when Chattogram could not accommodate demand. But the opening of Padma Bridge in 2022 marked ...

Why Payra Port still lacks a customs house

Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

Bangladesh has never lacked ambition when it comes to infrastructure. Over the past decade, the country has built bridges, tunnels, power plants, and ports that would have been unimaginable a generation ago. Among these, Payra Port stands out for its strategic importance: envisioned as the nation's third major maritime gateway, designed to relieve pressure on ...

Bangladesh must act now to secure future of its RMG sector

Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

Bangladesh's ready-made garment sector has long been our economic anchor, lifting millions from poverty and placing the country firmly on the global apparel map. Few national success stories have been as transformative or as central to our national identity. Yet today, this industry-responsible for the overwhelming majority of our export earnings-stands at a critical turning ...

Why we need a world-class integrated steel mill at Matarbari

Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury

The clang of steel has always been the sound of industrial might. For Bangladesh, a nation racing toward developed-country status, the ambition to build a world-class integrated steel mill is no longer an extravagant idea-it is a strategic necessity. For decades, our private sector admirably filled the vacuum left after the closure of the state-owned ...