Participants attend the day-long Job Fair 2025 for persons with disabilities, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Business and Disability Network and Brac Bank’s “Aparajeyo Ami” initiative, at the Bangladesh Agricultural Institution (KIB) Complex in Dhaka on Thursday, September 4, 2025. Photo: Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

A day-long Job Fair 2025 for persons with disabilities ended on Thursday at the Bangladesh Krishibid Institution (KIB) Complex in Dhaka.

The event was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Business and Disability Network (BBDN) and Brac Bank PLC’s “Aparajeyo Ami” initiative.

A total of 620 job seekers with various educational qualifications and skill levels registered for the fair, actively participating in interviews and other activities. Twenty leading organisations took part, including NGOs, ready-made garment (RMG) companies, multinational firms, retail, IT, conglomerates, banking, and service-sector enterprises.

Chief guest Bijoy Krishna Debnath, additional secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, expressed gratitude to everyone involved in the initiative, describing the effort to integrate persons with disabilities into mainstream society through employment as “truly commendable.” He also announced that in 2026, the National Disability Development Foundation would organise an even larger job fair, inviting at least 200 companies.

He added: “On October 15, a special event will be held at the National Disability Development Foundation to mark World White Cane Day. I look forward to everyone’s participation in the event.”

Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, board member of BBDN and president of the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF), highlighted that disability is not a barrier and emphasised the importance of recognising the abilities, talents, and contributions of persons with disabilities. He further noted that next year, at least 200 individuals with disabilities would secure employment through the job fair.

Tareq Refat Ullah Khan, managing director & CEO of Brac Bank PLC, expressed pride in the bank’s participation, noting that over the past three years, it has been hiring qualified persons with disabilities as part of its institutional culture. He said:

“Brac Bank provides loans on favourable terms to disabled entrepreneurs so they can advance their own businesses. We also have a visually impaired colleague in our office who, in some areas, performs even better than the rest of us. This demonstrates that, when given the opportunity, disability is never a barrier to progress.”

The fair concluded with certificate presentations to graduates of digital skills training, appointment letters for newly recruited employees, sharing of experiences by the recruits, and brief remarks from participating employers. Organisations that took part also received certificates of participation.