STAR BUSINESS DESK

Swisscontact Bangladesh and BRAC University jointly organised an event, titled “Strengthening Local Capacity for Sustainable Industry”, at the university campus in Dhaka, focusing on building environmental, social, and governance (ESG) skills.

The programme brought together around 80 stakeholders, including representatives from industry associations, international brands, academic institutions, and development organisations.

The event, held under Swisscontact’s PROGRESS initiative, shared findings from an ESG needs assessment and certified the first cohort of participants from a professional certificate course on ESG.

With support from the embassies of Sweden and Switzerland, the programme marked a step forward in strengthening ESG capacity in Bangladesh’s export-oriented industries.

Ariful Islam, treasurer of BRAC University, appreciated the collaboration and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to advancing ESG education and strengthening partnerships between academia and industry.

Based on a survey of 106 professionals, the assessment -- conducted by the Department of Economics and Social Sciences at BRAC University -- found rising ESG awareness but gaps in technical skills such as reporting, carbon accounting, and risk management. Strong demand for ESG training was also evident.

In response, BRAC University launched a 60-hour certificate course combining theoretical and practical learning for professionals across key sectors.

The course was facilitated by both academic and industry practitioners.

During the presentation, Kazy Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, global sustainability manager at Lindex and an instructor and curriculum designer of the course, said, “The purpose of the course is to build professional capacity to understand, apply, and lead ESG integration.”

Ikramul H Sohel, senior programme officer for inclusive economic development at the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, said sustainability is no longer optional but essential.

Farzana Amin, team leader of the PROGRESS project at Swisscontact Bangladesh, said the initiative aims to meet the growing demand for sustainability professionals and encourage graduates to apply ESG practices in their respective fields.