“We want to assure our buyers that the country is the safest place for sourcing apparel items.” Credit: BGMEA

The BGMEA’s board of directors held an emergency meeting on 24 August, accepting Mannan’s resignation.

Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, who previously served as senior vice president at the BGMEA, was unanimously voted in as the new president. Abdullah Hil Rakib has been named as the new senior vice president and Asif Ashraf was named as the new vice president.

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Rafiqul Islam told local news outlet The Business Standard: “Our first priority will be to restore the foreign buyers’ confidence on Bangladesh as law and order is improving gradually.

“We want to assure our buyers that the country is the safest place for sourcing apparel items.”

The full new BGMEA Board under President Rafiqul Islam is as follows:

– First vice president: Syed Nazrul Islam

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– Senior vice president: Abdullah Hil Rakib

– Vice president: Arshad Jamal (Dipu)

– Vice president (Finance): Md. Nasir Uddin

– Vice president: Miran Ali

– Vice president: Asif Ashraf

– Vice president: Rakibul Alam Chowdhury

Kochi’s resignation follows the departure of Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and left Bangladesh in August 2024.

In the weeks that followed, the BGMEA said the unrest had led to a “hostile takeover attempt” on 7 August.

The takeover attempt was said to have taken place hours after a group of apparel exporters expressed “no confidence” in the current BGMEA leadership, according to local news reports.

Gherzi Textil Organization’s partner Bob Antoshak previously told Just Style the BGMEA plays a significant role in Bangladesh’s apparel sector. “Because of the scale of the industry in relation to the country’s overall economy, it also commands national importance.

“It’s unfortunate to see turmoil in the organisation while the country attempts to stabilise and calm down from its recent political unrest. At this point what’s most important for Bangladesh’s apparel industry is stability and a return to business as usual.”