I HAVE had the privilege of working with various academic institutions in countries like Malaysia, Oman, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. All these countries are temporary homes of a large foreign workforce, many of whom hail from Bangladesh. Driven by my deep habitual curiosity to empathise with their challenging lives, I frequently engage in conversation with these workforces, particularly those who are from my own homeland. While having a conversation, I understand their intense eagerness to get back to their roots, be with family and acquaintances, and contribute to the local development. Some of them returned back to the country, drawn by the pull of roots, but many of them, unfortunately, had to leave behind the loving family and step into the harsh reality again. Mr Shafiq, a Bangladeshi migrant, while serving in a restaurant, told me, 鈥榃ish the country was favourable for people like us to start our own business.鈥� Similarly said by Mr Zahed who works as a janitor in a shopping mall and earns an average income. Both of them remit roughly eighty per cent of their income to support their families while themselves living meagerly, making substantial personal sacrifices. Meanwhile, there are Bangladeshis who started their own businesses overseas even with a lump sum amount. Notably, the white-collar Bangladeshi migrants are also at large in Australia, European countries, Gulf countries, Southeast Asian countries, the UK, and the USA. However, a large number of semi-skilled workers from Bangladesh are engaged in blue-collar jobs as well, particularly in the Gulf countries, Singapore, and Malaysia. Surprisingly, there is a discrepancy with the number of the migrants鈥� who are currently working abroad from Bangladesh. The ministries and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics have different numbers varying from 5 million to 15 million. It鈥檚 simply bizarre that even after 50 years of independence, the country has not developed a system that could accurately record the outflow and inflow of the Bangladeshi migrants, despite their significant contribution to the foreign currency reserve system. Undoubtedly, remitting foreign currency is way better for the country鈥檚 economic development. Recently (July-October 2024), it was evident that remittance by foreign workers plays an immense role in supporting the economic ailment and economic progress of the country. Concurrently, we should also consider how we can make use of the knowledge and expertise of the returnee workforce, or returnee migrants, and contribute to local development.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, returnee migrants are defined as the migrants who go back to one鈥檚 own culture, family, and home from abroad. In many countries, returnee migrants play a pivotal role in socio-economic development. Realising the fact, Narendra Modi of India, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an of T眉rkiye have called on and encouraged their educated professionals鈥� diasporas abroad to come back and join in rebuilding their nations. Unlike these countries, many keep track of the returnee migrants, which could be the simplest indicator of a structured intent to reintegrate the returnee migrants into the local economy. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, there is no valid track record of the migrants, let alone the returnee migrants. International Organisation for Migration in Bangladesh conceded that there is no recorded number of Bangladeshi returnee migrants. In fact, there is an absence of knowledge transfer and absorption mechanisms in the country. Till the date, there is potential scope to reveal the challenges the returnee migrants face to reintegrate them into the local community and economy. On returning to the homeland, the returnee migrants face difficulties in finding employment and also start a business despite having skills and expertise. Based on the observations, it is relatively apparent that there is a lack of clear framework, mechanism, infrastructure, and policy to effectively use the skills and expertise of the returnee migrants.
It is important to create a database of out-bound and in-bound migrants and provide them with a migrant ID card, which will enable them to keep track of the records of the migrants. The database will include all required information that could be used for their reintegration. The returnee migrants can be granted financial loans for start-up businesses, particularly in the semi-urban or rural areas. Upon returning to the country, many attempted to lay the foundation of their future in the urban cities. While some of them could utilise their skills and capabilities acquired overseas in the urban industries, others, for their survival, return to their villages in rural or semi-urban areas. But the most significant and pressing challenge they face while they return to their roots. Neither is there anyone to hire them, nor do they have appropriate infrastructure and facilities to start their own business. This is where an effective rural entrepreneurship framework could play a transformative role. Rural entrepreneurship refers to a process and strategy aimed at empowering the rural areas by fostering business activities to minimise the urban-rural gap. Scholars contend that rural entrepreneurship is the route towards social, economic, and environmental advancement in the rural areas of a country. It could possibly curb the trend of migration, particularly to the capital city. The most important thing that could be done is to set up a dedicated rural entrepreneurship centre in suburban areas envisioned as the hub for rural entrepreneurial activities. The centres could either be run through public-private partnerships or fully managed by the local government entities. Due to rapid technological development, the internet is the game changer. Utilising the latest technology, web-based or mobile phone-based applications could be developed that will work as one-stop solutions for returnee-migrant entrepreneurs, traders, suppliers, distributors, and other relevant stakeholders. As we know, connectivity is productivity. Hence, the tech-based one-stop solution could be most conducive to expediting the economic activities in the rural areas. In addition, there should be an integrated system that will allow returnee-migrant rural entrepreneurs to obtain any civic facilities required, be it trade licenses, renting godowns/shops/houses, and, most importantly, accessing digital finance services. E-commerce could also play a vital role in engaging the returnee migrants to flourish rural entrepreneurship. Customised training programmes by the returnee migrants to the other rural entrepreneurs through the one-stop solution would surely add substantial value. Even promoting rural tourism by returnee-migrant rural entrepreneurs could highly benefit the development of the locality. By equipping rural areas with easy access to a digital financing system, a one-stop solution system, infrastructure development, and skills and expertise of the returnee migrants, we can certainly grow rural entrepreneurship. Thus, rural entrepreneurship may play an instrumental role in dealing with the opportunities and challenges of returnee migrants.
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Dr Syed Abidur Rahman is a faculty member of the College of Business Administration, University of Sharjah, UAE, and an advisor to the Moulovibari Research and Partnership Hub, Bangladesh.