Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Wednesday called on the World Bank (WB) to extend support in developing trade negotiation skills among Bangladesh's trade officials, emphasising that human resource development is as critical as infrastructure investment in strengthening the country's global competitiveness.

"To ensure effective participation in the international trading system, it is essential to build skilled manpower in trade negotiation, trade law, WTO regulations and modern trade management," he said during a meeting with WB Operations Manager Gayle Martin at the Commerce Ministry.

The meeting covered ongoing collaboration between the ministry and the global lender, focusing on capacity building, skilled human resource development and modernisation of the trade sector.

The minister specifically sought WB assistance in three areas: trade negotiation skill development for ministry officials, establishing a strong resource pool for the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI), and building practical expertise in trade law and WTO affairs.

He also pointed out that despite large-scale projects being implemented under various donor agencies and government funding, adequate initiatives to enhance the capacity of project directors have remained largely absent.

World Bank Operations Manager Gayle Martin described the EC4J project, currently being implemented by the Commerce Ministry, as a successful initiative and assured continued support. "World Bank programmes in Bangladesh place special emphasis on job creation, productivity enhancement and value creation to generate long-term positive impact on the national economy."

Commerce Ministry Secretary (Routine Duty) Md Abdur Rahim Khan was also present at the meeting.