Sri Lanka-Bangladesh biz forum promotes business relations

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sarah Hannan In the run-up to the Commonwealth Business Forum 2013 (CBF2013) that commenced yesterday, the High Commission of Bangladesh in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Bangladesh Business Co-operation Council (SLBBCC) of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) hosted a business forum on Monday 11 November at the chamber’s auditorium at D.R. Wijewardane Mawatha, Colombo 10.

The forum was attended by the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Mohammad Shahidul Haque, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Mohammad Sufiur Rahman, Director General of Commerce R. D. S. Kumararatne, Dakha Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) President Mohammad Sabur Khan and representatives from the chamber, SLBBCC President Asela de Livera and council members, NCCSL office bearers and members. Opening up new avenues Khan in his presentation touched base on the trade and business opportunities available for Sri Lanka in Bangladesh. “Within the past years Bangladesh has created 2,000 new young entrepreneurs where 52% of the workforce comprises of young adults. The DCCI will be hosting the ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo’ from 2-3 May 2014, which will have a huge impact in encouraging and creating new enterprises,” Khan reiterated. “Bangladesh has the highest respect towards the Sri Lankan business community and some of our businesses are looking at branching out in Sri Lanka and establishing their businesses and manufacturing plants in Sri Lanka as well,” Khan added. Socio-economic progression “The signing of this MoU between the two chambers marks a historic occasion that opens up opportunities to widen bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The country’s public and private sector managed to provide 16 million people with employment within the last 10 years. The low GDP ratio per citizen has provided a bigger flexibility and has made a tremendous progress in its current socio-economic environment,” said the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Sahidul Haque. Haque drew the attention of the audience to four key aspects that makes Bangladesh the ideal country to carry out business partnerships, namely, geo location with its rich resources that intersects South Asia with the Far East (China), demography comprising of young energetic and economically active entrepreneurs, dynamic and creative people, and rich cultural heritage. In conlusion, Haque said: “We live in a world that constantly changes. The world I lived two decades ago is completely different from the world I now live in. In the future we will see a much more different world which will be dependent on virtual connectivity. But even in the virtual world we will continue to build business relationships and partnerships. The most important partnership that needs to be built is the partnership between the government, business community and among its people.” Pix by Lasantha Kumara