Bangladesh's Awami League-led coalition government today decided to open diplomatic missions in seven more countries in a bid to boost its export of manpower, which now earns the country some 9 billion dollars a year in workers' wage repatriations, dpa reported. "We've decided to open diplomatic missions in seven more countries," Finance Minister Abdul Maal Abul Muhith told reporters after an inter-ministry meeting to explore new manpower destinations. He said new missions were to be opened in Mauritius, Lebanon, Sudan, Greece, Botswana, Angola and Romania. As many as 6.5 million Bangladeshis are currently working abroad, mostly in low-end jobs. Their welfare is being looked after by the country's 47 diplomatic missions around the world. Dhaka's move comes at a time when Bangladesh's manpower export shown a sliding trend because of the fallout of global financial recession. According to government figures, 288,903 workers went abroad during in the January-July 2009 period, down 49 per cent from 564,098 in the same period last year. The government also decided to set up a manpower training institution to increase sending of more skilled workers abroad.
