Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Choudhury has called on expatriate entrepreneurs to put their skills and capital into building a developed Bangladesh, the ministry said in a press release.

The minister spoke by video link as chief guest at the “CIP (NRB) Samman 2026” award ceremony in Dubai on Tuesday. The event was organised by the Bangladesh CIP Business Association in the United Arab Emirates. 

The ministry said Ariful Haque Choudhury could not attend in person because of the labour situation in the country. 

The minister congratulated the commercially important persons (CIPs) who received awards and praised expatriate businesspeople for their contribution to the economy and the country’s image.

Expatriates are “a source of pride for the country and one of the strengths of its economy”, the minister said, according to the release. He said remittances from expatriates have helped millions of families and raised living standards. He added that expatriates also create opportunities by running businesses and setting up industries abroad.

Ariful thanked the UAE’s president and head of government and recalled the long-standing friendship between the two countries. He said he hopes trade, investment and cooperation will grow further.

Describing the government’s initiatives for expatriates, the minister said it plans to introduce a “Probashi Card” to protect expatriates’ dignity and confirm their identity. The ministry said the card would let expatriates get government services and support more easily at any time. The release gave no timeline or details of how the card will work.

The minister asked the CIPs to invest more in industry, agriculture, tourism, education, and health, and not only in housing, to create jobs at home. He also asked them to help widen the market for Bangladeshi products abroad, to give the government information on labour demand in foreign markets, and to take part in social development work.

He advised expatriates to obey the laws of the countries where they live so that their conduct does not damage the country’s reputation.

According to the release, those present included Chattogram-9 lawmaker Md Abu Sufian, Chattogram-12 lawmaker Mohammad Enamul Haque, Dr Enamul Haque—an adviser to the BNP chairperson, Bangladesh’s ambassador in Abu Dhabi Tareq Ahmed, Dr Abdullah Al Kindi—described as a former UAE cabinet member, and Bangladesh’s Consul General in Dubai Rashedujjaman.