Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The Bangladesh government plans to open seven new missions aboard aiming to provide services to the Bangladeshi expatriate workers over there as well as increase manpower export, a minister said on Sunday.
The new mission will be opened in Mauritius, Botswana, Romania, Lebanon, Angola, Sudan and Greece, Finance Minister AMA Muhith told reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting held at the ministry in Dhaka.
Many missions in the major labour receiving countries do not have adequate trained staff. So, those missions will also be strengthened, the minister added.
Currently, Bangladesh has 47 missions in foreign countries where 19 commerce wings have been functioning.
Already tens of thousands of Bangladeshi labours have found work in the seven countries, despite the absence of missions or any labour wings in their capitals, according to reports.
Among the countries, mineral rich African nations Angola, Botswana and Sudan have been growing at a blistering pace. East European powerhouse Romania also needs tens of thousands of workers to man its manufacturing plants.
Mauritius has recently decided to expel some 6,000 Bangladeshi workers and an absence of Dhaka mission in the Indian Ocean country was felt dearly during the whole episode.
Around 6.50 million Bangladeshis went abroad with jobs since 1976. Only in last seven months this year, 350,000 workers went abroad for the jobs. The expatriate workers sent home $9.689 billion as remittances in the fiscal 2008-09.
BBN/SS/SI/AD-31August09-2:07 am (BST)
