Published: 06:39 AM, 26 June 2026
BUBT Economics Olympiad 2026: Shaping Future Economic Thinkers of Bangladesh
Dr. Muhammad Mahboob Ali
Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture. The country is on track to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026, while the “Smart Bangladesh” vision for 2041 promises a future of innovation, good governance and prosperity. But there are still powerful obstacles. Corruption remains a barrier to economic progress, erodes public confidence and diverts resources away from development goals. What the country needs is not just smart policies but young, skilled and ethically grounded citizens who can cut through the global complexities and hold their leaders to account. The BUBT Economics Olympiad 2026 addresses this demand. The event was co-organized by BUBT Economics Club and BUBT Economics Department on 20th June, 2026 and had 264 participants from 35+ colleges across Dhaka. It was not just a scholastic contest; it was a purposeful investment in the intellectual capital of Bangladesh. It was a conscious effort to nurture economically literate citizens who can contribute to the formation of a corruption-free society through informed participation and ethical decision making. BUBT Economic Olympiad is a world class competition to challenge HSC reading students. Its vision and mission is to educate, collaborate domestically and globally, and employ and engage the next generation of leaders in hands-on analytical problem solving. BUBT’s economic Olympiad committee should contact and collaborate with International Economics Olympiad (IEO).
Students were honoured to have Dr. Mustafa K. Mujeri as a distinguished guest speaker. Mujeri is a PhD in Economics from McMaster University, Canada and the Executive Director of the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM) . He has served as Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Chief Economist of Bangladesh Bank, Poverty Monitoring Advisor, UNDP Cambodia, Project Leader for IDRC’s MIMAP, Director of Research, CIRDAP, Visiting Faculty, University of Queensland and with the Bangladesh Planning Commission and Rajshahi University till 1984.He was the member of Bangladesh Economics Olympiad (BDEO).Dr. Mujeri has done extensive work on poverty analysis, macroeconomic policy, development modeling and monetary policy. In his presentation on ‘Economics for Inclusive Growth’, he sent a clear message that inflation must be checked and Bangladesh Bank must respond to market realities instead of rigidly following policy frameworks. He was straightforward about the integrity of institutions, arguing that economic policies should benefit all citizens, not just a privileged few. He was member of Bangladesh Economics Olympiad (BDEO).
Bangladesh has ambitious development goals: graduation from LDC status by 2026, upper-middle-income status by 2031, and high-income status by 2041. For the framework of Smart Bangladesh, Smart Citizens, Smart Government, Smart Society and Smart Economy, intelligent citizens must participate actively. But economic literacy is poor. The national budget, the most important policy document of the government, is a mystery to the average citizen. People live with inflation, taxation and public spending every day but few are able to critically evaluate the policies that shape these economic forces.
The BUBT Economics Olympiad takes on this challenge head on. Its mission is to contribute to economic and financial education of Bangladeshi youth and to be part of the national development framework.” It is not just about training economists, but about building a society where economic ideas are accessible, citizens ask meaningful questions and informed participation becomes the norm. An economically literate citizenry that can better demand transparency and hold policy makers to account is needed in the fight against corruption.
The BUBT Olympiad is a part of a bigger ecosystem. Earlier Bangladesh Economics Olympiad (BDEO) is an annual competition for secondary and higher secondary students since 2019. It is organized by the Bangladesh Economics Olympiad Foundation under the leadership of Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Adviser to the Caretaker Government, Chairperson of BRAC and Executive Chairman of PPRC. International aspect of BDEO enhances its importance. It is a partner of the International Economics Olympiad (IEO) co-founded by Nobel Laureate Professor Eric Maskin and advised by Nobel Laureate Professor Daron Acemoglu. It links the best young economists of Bangladesh with the world and puts Bangladesh on the world map. In the first BDEO, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mahboob Ali was also involved.
The Olympiad emerged from a sophisticated understanding of the modern economics education. The participants were tested on economic principles applied to real life situations – financial literacy, data interpretation, policy analysis and understanding of Bangladesh’s national budget. ADB BBS BIDS Written Exam Micro Economics Macro Economics Logical Reasoning Quantitative Aptitude Current Affairs
The competition was created to mimic the complexities of the real world. Individual brilliance and teamwork, a priceless skill in the workplace, were combined as participants competed individually and as teams. The final nine took a rapid-fire financial quiz and debated policy positions with prominent economists in a panel discussion. It fostered critical thinking, public speaking, team work and persuasive communication skills – skills that employers are increasingly looking for.
Prof. Dr. A.B.M. Shawkat Ali, Vice-Chancellor of BUBT said, “Creativity and innovation are not optional extras in economics, but essential requirements. As the profession evolves with technology, he encouraged students to marry studies with artificial intelligence and data science. His plea for AI integration highlighted the urgency of collaboration between industry and universities to prepare students for the digital economy.
Prof. Dr. Syed Masud Husain, Dean, Faculty of Business and Economics, BUBT, termed the Olympiad as “talent hunt that will give immense pleasure to the nation and inspire the youth generation.” “It is very timely to transform the domestic and global economics, finance and business education for the HSC students of Bangladesh through competition and collaboration,” said Prof. Syed Masud Hussain.
One of the highlights was the interactive workshop, “National Budget Easy Learning,” which translated complex fiscal language into concepts that are easy to understand. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mahboob Ali presented “Budget Literacy for the Next Generation: From Numbers to Narratives” and underscored the need for the national budget to be easily comprehensible for all citizens. He emphasised inclusive growth for social harmony. "We need to develop economics all over the world as there can be no sustainable development without economics knowledge from cradle to grave, " said Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mahboob Ali. He stressed honesty, integrity and ethics as the bedrock of economic activity. The chief guest, Dr. Md. Abdur Rouf, Professor of Economics, BUET highlighted the importance of budget literacy in creating aware citizens for building a corruption free society.
Mrs. Mashfiqa Akhter, Head of Economics, Narayanganj Govt. Mohila College, appreciated the initiative saying: “Events like BUBT Economics Olympiad play an important role in developing future economists and in enhancing Bangladesh’s image worldwide. She said that industry leaders could sponsor such activities and mentor the winners, bridging the gap between academic excellence and career advancement. Her comments highlighted the role of the private sector and the need for stronger industry-university alliances.
“We have to seek ways to expose young people to economic ideas beyond the traditional classroom setting,” said program convenor, Prof Dr Md Mahmudul Hasan. “Such grand event is not a challenging but to make national pride to inclusion,” said Prof.Hasan. BUBT Economics Club moderator Mr. Tareq Imam Zahid said, “I’m happy to be a part of such an event that will affect the intellectual growth of hundreds of young students. “The turnout and enthusiasm were beyond expectations,” said Nushrat Jahan Beena, President of Economics Club of BUBT.
The third place was bagged by Mustafa Zuhayen, a Humanities student of St. Joseph School and College. “My experience in this Economics Olympiad has transformed my vision and objective of life. “I have understood the significance of knowledge in economics in every aspect of life and this will help me in taking future decisions and selecting my career. His words testify to the Olympiad’s ability to make the young minds sensitive about the importance of economics.
Awards were given in three streams – Arts, Commerce and Science.” Arts Stream – Economic Storytelling and Policy Communication Commerce Stream recognized trade strategy and entrepreneurial economics. The Science Stream had prizes for quantitative modelling and data science applications. These streams point to the future economist as someone who should be versatile, equally at home with storytelling, strategic thinking, and statistical analysis.
This competition is related to higher education because the winners will get a 50% scholarship in economics programs of BUBT. The certificates participants earn will enhance their academic transcripts and showcase their analytical skills. BUBT offers BSc (Honours) in Economics and MSc in Economics programs that are student-centered with small classes, personalized mentoring and curricula developed in partnership with leading economists. The graduates are placed in banks, multinational companies, NGOs, development agencies and government bodies.
In the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, Bangladesh should embrace AI in economic analysis. The Olympiad’s focus on data interpretation fits with the demand for AI-literate graduates. However, there is still a significant gap between academic training and industry needs. Employers are looking for practical AI skills – data science, machine learning, predictive analytics – that are not always covered in traditional courses. We need stronger business-university alliances where businesses co-design curricula, provide internships and offer mentorship.
FBCCI’s “Chamber 4.0” with its digital transformation platforms and AI chatbot integration is a promising move. Such platforms can enhance employability by linking students with industry professionals and fostering AI literacy, thereby preparing Bangladesh’s workforce for the digital economy.
BUBT Olympiad is a worldwide phenomenon. The IEO has involved over 120,000 students from 4 continents. Things like this happen in other countries. The UK , Poland and Portugal all have similar competitions . The long-term effect of these competitions is illustrated by the 40-year-old National Economics Knowledge Olympiad in Poland – almost 60% of participating students continued to higher education, which highlights their importance for employability and career development.
LDC graduation is a challenge—loss of preferential market access, changing development finance and global shocks. Experts alone cannot solve these. They need a well-educated citizenry, that understands economics, weighs policy choices, and holds leaders accountable.” We need economically literate citizens who know how to spot misuse of public funds and ask for transparency to build a corruption-free society.
The BUBT Economics Olympiad 2026 is an investment in the intellectual foundations of Bangladesh, making a pipeline of future economists, policy makers and entrepreneurs. These efforts are trying to create a nationwide movement for economic literacy.
The huge response, with registration closing early due to interest from over 35 colleges, indicates young Bangladeshis are hungry for this kind of engagement. They want to move from rote memorization to grappling with actual policy issues. Such events as this Olympiad are important milestones in the development of the talent pool that will shape the future of Bangladesh as a Smart Bangladesh and an upper middle-income country. May the economic future of Bangladesh be built on a citizenry that understands questions and engages with the nation’s most consequential decisions with integrity and purpose.
Such programs – BUBT’s economic Olympiad needs to be held on a regular basis to detect and develop exceptional talent in economics, finance and business, AI ,data analytics, business analytics ; to enhance financial literacy and analytical reasoning among young learners; to develop global communities and professional networks through cross-cultural exchange; to improve educational systems by bridging academia and industry; and to nurture essential employability skills and problem-solving techniques that prepare students for real-world challenges.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Mahboob Ali teaches Economics at Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), Dhaka.
