From ‘shital pati’ to OTT

In a small house in Sylhet’s Balaganj upazila, Alta Begum weaves shital pati as generations before her have done for centuries. Known for its natural cooling properties, the handcrafted mats sell locally for a fraction of the prices that similar products fetch abroad.

Now in her mid-60s, she never imagined her craft could become part of the country’s economic strategy. But that may be about to change.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, while delivering the fiscal year 2026–27 budget speech yesterday, announced a dedicated allocation for the creative economy -- an unusual step in Bangladesh’s budget history.

The government has set aside Tk 300 crore directly, with an additional Tk 500 crore expected from Bangladesh Bank’s corporate social responsibility funds. Together, this signals a wider commitment to a sector spanning handloom and pottery to filmmaking, OTT platforms and fashion design.

As defined by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its Creative Economy Outlook 2024, the creative economy includes activities that generate and distribute goods and services rooted in creativity and intellectual capital, such as advertising, architecture, arts, design, music and film production, publishing and video games.

In Bangladesh, the sector has largely grown informally, driven by small craft entrepreneurs, independent filmmakers and boutique fashion brands, often with limited state support. The new allocation aims to bring this grassroots growth into the formal economic mainstream.

The government’s ambition goes beyond funding. It has set a target of raising the creative industry’s share of GDP to 1.5 percent through coordinated initiatives, a goal drawn from the BNP’s election manifesto.

“We have already prepared an action plan to implement coordinated activities involving the government, private sector and NGOs for the sustainable development of this sector,” said Khosru in his budget speech.

Globally, the creative economy’s potential is growing rapidly. In 2022, global exports of creative services reached a record $1.4 trillion, nearly double the $713 billion recorded for creative goods, according to the UNCTAD report.

The report also highlights strong growth in developing countries, where the sector contributes between 0.5 percent and 7.3 percent of GDP and employs 0.5 percent to 12.5 percent of the workforce, depending on available data.

Finance ministry officials said the sector is also seen as a way to engage young people in creative work, support their physical and mental development, and help steer them away from drugs and militancy.

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS BUILDING

The budget outlines a long-term plan, including a 10-year investment strategy and a time-bound action plan to establish regional creative hubs across the country.

At its centre is a proposed 160-acre Central Creative Hub in Purbachal, Dhaka, to be developed through a public-private partnership, with feasibility work already underway.

The plan also includes creative hubs at divisional, district and upazila levels, potentially hosted in institutions such as Shishu Academy and Shilpakala Academy, as well as innovation hubs in universities and colleges.

Under the “One Village, One Product” initiative, selected creative goods such as shital pati, shatranjee, terracotta, handloom textiles, wooden toys and handmade jewellery will receive structured support.

A “National Pool of Designers” will be formed to improve product quality and market appeal. Plans are also in place to upgrade the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation design centre to international standards in collaboration with universities and leading fashion designers.

In addition, efforts will focus on restoring cultural heritage sites for use in international festivals, along with a calendar of monthly cultural and traditional events.

The tourism sector will be more closely integrated with the creative economy through an international-standard training institute and updated hospitality benchmarks, while a comprehensive Tourism Master Plan is being finalised.

A new national brand, “Created in Bangladesh,” will promote creative products globally. The government also plans an international-standard film studio to support cinema and OTT platforms, aiming to strengthen Bangladesh’s presence in the regional screen industry.

WELCOME MOVE, BUT IMPLEMENTATION IS KEY

Experts have welcomed the initiative while stressing strong implementation and structural support.

Prof Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said, “Content creators and freelancers are now launching startups and pursuing various innovative ventures. If we can encourage them, the creative economy has the potential to become a major source of self-employment,” though he cautioned about ensuring proper use of allocated funds.

Echoing this, Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling, described the allocation as a “welcome recognition” of culture, craft, design, media and digital content as productive sectors.

He said the target of raising the sector’s GDP contribution to 1.5 percent is a “useful ambition”, but added that “the real question is implementation”.

Raihan also stressed that the allocation is only a starting point. He said rural artisans, designers, filmmakers and digital creators need access to finance, training, technology, intellectual property protection, e-commerce platforms and market linkages.

“Without these, creative hubs may become buildings rather than ecosystems,” he warned, adding that without a clear baseline, sector mapping and measurable roadmap, the initiative risks becoming an “attractive manifesto promise rather than a serious growth strategy.”