On 30 August 2025, a high-level delegation, including Mr. Rezaul Maksud Jahedi, Secretary, Local Government Division, Dr. Md. Monirul Islam, Joint Secretary and National Project Director, SWAPNO, Ms. Hasina Begum, Deputy Commissioner, Jamalpur, A.K.M. Abdullah-Bin-Rashid, Deputy Director, Local Government, and other senior officials from Jamalpur, visited the formal sector activities of SWAPNO Phase II in Jamalpur. The visit included a tour of training labs, where the Secretary appreciated the lively, festive atmosphere and interactions with beneficiaries who expressed optimism about securing garment sector employment.

Highlighting the project’s transformative impact, the Secretary called the 65-fold increase in household productive assets of the follow-up beneficiaries from the previous phase of SWAPNO—a rise from BDT 3,454 to BDT 226,787 per household—“a miracle” and emphasized the need to scale up SWAPNO to reach all unions nationwide, not just the 12 current districts.

The mission began with a welcome speech and project progress presentation by Mr. Bakshi, highlighting the project’s milestones and its transformative impact on communities.

Key reflections from the visit:

• The Deputy Commissioner of Jamalpur praised SWAPNO as a model for poverty alleviation and recommended its expansion to all upazilas of the district.
• Dr. Monirul Islam underscored the project’s success as a best-practice model for donor agencies, noting plans to seek additional funding from the Government of Bangladesh and UNDP for scale-up.
• Secretary Rezaul Maksud Jahedi expressed satisfaction with the progress and suggested the project be extended to all unions nationwide.

The Secretary emphasized that beneficiaries’ savings should be deposited in interest-bearing accounts, project wages must align with market standards (not below BDT 400–500), and women and children must always receive equal pay for equal work.