Dhaka, May 6 -- Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Wednesday called on the World Bank (WB) to extend support in developing trade negotiation skills among Bangladesh's trade officials, emphasising that human resource development is as critical as infrastructure investment in strengthening the country's global competitiveness.

"To ensure effective participation in the international trading system, it is essential to build skilled manpower in trade negotiation, trade law, WTO regulations and modern trade management," he said during a meeting with WB Operations Manager Gayle Martin at the Commerce Ministry.

The meeting covered ongoing collaboration between the ministry and the global lender, focusing on capacity building, skilled...