Youth entrepreneurs gatherings organized by the COAST FoundationYouth Entrepreneurship as a Catalyst for Inclusive Economic Growth

In accordance with the recent circular issued by the Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA), COAST Foundation organized a series of Youth Entrepreneurship Assemblies across its all regions (Cox’s Bazar, Bhola, Chattogram, Cumilla, Noakhali, Barishal, and the small islands of the Bay of Bengal) during 19 October to 2 November 2025.

The initiative was conducted to update young participants on COAST’s various facilities and to encourage their active engagement in entrepreneurial initiatives.

The assemblies aimed to inspire innovative business ideas, promote youth-led employment opportunities, and involve young people in broader social development processes.

In addition to regional events, similar gatherings were organized at all COAST branch levels, creating a participatory platform where young entrepreneurs, NGO leaders, government officials, and other stakeholders shared experiences, insights, and collaborative strategies.

These assemblies positioned youth entrepreneurship not merely as an individual livelihood option, but as a community-driven approach for poverty reduction, economic resilience, and sustainable development within the framework of Bangladesh’s microfinance regulatory environment.

At the core of these simultaneous events, COAST Foundation reaffirmed that youth entrepreneurship stands as a pivotal pathway for developing inclusive economic growth and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh.

The events emphasized that youth must be enabled with access to finance, training, market, and business linkages if they are to become opportunity creators rather than employment seekers.

By implementing the MRA-mandated regulatory oversight and aligning programs, COAST is reinforcing the integrity, transparency and impact of its youth-enterprise strategy. Participants were reminded that sustainable youth enterprises strengthen local value-chains, promote livelihoods diversification and contribute directly to the resilience of coastal and rural communities.

Over 250 participants convened, including youths, key civil society leaders, regional government officials, youth development officers, microfinance practitioners and media representatives.

The gatherings brought together more than 120 young entrepreneurs who are current or potential participants in COAST’s MF programs, along with COAST staff and partner organization representatives.

These diverse stakeholders engaged in dialogue, shared their experiences, best practices and the way forward for youth-led economic inclusion and ensuring sustainable growth.

In each region, the Regional Program Coordinator (RPC), MF program, COAST Foundation presented the keynote. They highlighted that the organization has integrated adoptive approach with an enterprise-development focus.

It recognizes that youth-led ventures thrive when built on a foundation of sound microfinance practice and institutional support.

It was noted that while Bangladesh’s youth comprise nearly one-third of the total population where only a small percentage have access to entrepreneurship pathways that are properly supported and regulated.

They shared 2 categories of recommendations. Recommendations that the organization can implement. These are:

A) identify area-wise list of potential and uneducated youths for entrepreneurship development

B) Develop youth-enterprise financing schemes with flexible tenure and reduced interest burden

C) Plan and initiate business proposals across regional offices, with focus on climate-affected youth, young women, and coastal communities.

Apart, there are recommendations for the government authorities or departments and these are:

A) Link with the government to support more youth with access to finance

B) Expand dedicated youth entrepreneurship funds at district and sub-district levels, and ensure ease of access for youth enterprises,

C) Facilitate district-level private-public-NGO platforms for continuous training, market linkages and scaling support for youth particularly in rural and coastal zones.

While sharing their inspiring speech, a young entrepreneur from Cox’s Bazar recounted that how she transformed her livelihood after a personal setback by launching a retail clothing business supported through COAST’s MF-loan scheme, and now serves as mentor for other local youths.

Another participant from the Chattogram district described how she scaled from a modest tailoring unit into a factory employing dozens of workers through strategic reinvestment and business support, underscoring the need for persistence and enterprise mindset.

Whereas an entrepreneur from Barishal district shared how after graduation she chose to return to her home community to set up an aquaculture processing unit, creating jobs for other young people and diversifying local economic activities.

Several youth development officers emphasized that government policy increasingly recognizes entrepreneurship as a preference for educated youth rather than solely wage employment, and pledged ongoing administrative support for youth start-ups in the region.

A Deputy Director from the Department of Youth Development noted that young entrepreneurs are opening new frontiers in rural and coastal economies through innovation and technology, and encouraged greater linkages between government programs, regulatory frameworks and NGO-led enterprise initiatives.

Through these coordinated regional gatherings, COAST Foundation has shown its commitment to advancing youth entrepreneurship. COAST has charted a clear pathway for young people in rural and coastal areas to become drivers of economic inclusion, resilience and community development particularly in its working areas.

The recommendations emerging from these events call for a strengthened partnership between NGOs, the government and the private sector to ensure every young entrepreneur has the means and the environment to realize their potential.