State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan suggests that every listed business entity should have at least one female independent director, contributing to women empowerment.
The data presented by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) shows that women's participation in listed companies' boards has declined this year, compared to the previous year.
Ms Khan made the recommendation at a seminar titled "Ring the bell for gender equality."
The seminar was organised by the IFC, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), UN Global Compact, Sustainable Stock Exchanges, UN Women, and the World Federation of Exchanges at the DSE head office in the capital.
"One of the prime objectives of the government is to bring equality in society," said Ms Khan.
Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, was present at the programme as special guest.
"We are working hard to empower woman in the country. We will follow any instruction coming from the state minister," he said.
The seminar was chaired by DSE Chairman Prof Dr. Hafiz Md. Hasan Babu.
Ms. Lopa Rahman, environment, social and governance officer of the IFC, said in her presentation that the number of women as independent directors had fallen from 38 in 2023 to 32 in 2024.
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