Dhaka, Sept. 2 -- Bangladesh has emerged as one of Asia's impressive development stories. Once mired in poverty and disaster vulnerability, the country has posted decades of steady economic growth, halved poverty, and made notable gains in human development. Its ascent is particularly striking in a region where inequality, political instability, and structural stagnation remain stubborn challenges.

Yet success is no guarantee of sustainability. As Bangladesh eyes its transition from a lower-middle-income country to a high-income nation, its current growth model-cantered on low-cost manufacturing and labour-intensive exports-is reaching its limits. With rising inequality, mounting climate risks, and global economic uncertainty, the nation...