The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The story of Jangchub Dorji, is a microcosm of the challenges our private sector faces and a reminder of how far we still have to go in building a truly enabling environment for entrepreneurship in Bhutan.
Jangchub is not a flybynight operator. He is a young, capable entrepreneur with a viable business model and the drive to create jobs and value in our economy. Yet, like many in the private sector, he has been met with bureaucratic indifference, regulatory red tape, and the subtle but unmistakable bias toward government corporations and statelinked enterprises.
Agencies that should be enabling entrepreneurship instead act as gatekeepers, preferring the comfort of state control over the risk of empowering individuals.
State Owned Enterprises enjoy preferential treatment access to capital, regulatory fast tracking, and a safety net that no private firm can hope to match. This is not enough as they also get preference when it comes to government business.
Meanwhile, young Bhutanese who dare to venture into business find themselves navigating a maze of approvals, opaque policies, and delayed decisions that sap their energy and capital before they even get off the ground.
If Bhutan is serious about diversifying its economy and keeping its youth engaged at home, this mindset must change. Idle government machinery should be deployed to empower startups, not be hoarded for occasional demonstrations. Financing decisions must consider longterm economic value, not just short-term collateral.
The government speaks of economic diversification, job creation, and the need to keep our youth at home. But words alone cannot build an economy. If we are serious about nurturing entrepreneurship, then the mindset in our ministries and regulatory bodies must change. Officials must see the private sector not as a nuisance or a risk to be contained, but as a partner in nationbuilding.
This requires clear policies, timebound approvals, and equitable access to finance. It also requires the courage to level the playing field even with state owned corporations.
Supporting the private sector is not charity. It is a strategic investment in Bhutan’s future, in creating a resilient economy that does not rely solely on hydropower revenue or government spending. Each entrepreneur we empower is a potential employer, taxpayer, and innovator.
If Bhutan is to realize its vision of selfreliance and innovation, then our government must extend the same enthusiasm and support to private entrepreneurs that it has long reserved for its own corporations and agencies.
Supporting entrepreneurs is strategic economic policy. Until our bureaucracy embraces this truth, Bhutan’s private sector will remain stunted, and the next generation of innovators will continue to drive taxis or head to Australia, Middle-East and elsewhere.
“When you cease to dream you cease to live.”–Malcolm Forbes