The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) is going to organise "Bangladesh Business Summit-2023" in March this year on the occasion of its 50th founding anniversary.
To brief on this upcoming summit, the country's apex trade body organised a networking luncheon with ministers of Bangladesh, foreign ambassadors and business leaders at a hotel in Dhaka on Thursday.
Bangladesh Business Summit 2023, scheduled for March 11-13, 2023, is an international trade and investment promotion event. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the event and will also join the fireside chat with Richard Quest, one of the most prominent media figures from CNN in the USA, said a press release.
The summit will highlight Bangladesh's economic and market strengths as well as concrete trade and investment opportunities in Bangladesh by convening national and global business leaders, investors, policymakers, practitioners, policy and market analysts, academia, and innovators.
It will also host the best of Bangladesh Expo and FBCCI Business Awards 2023. There will be 3 plenary sessions on strategic issues, 13 parallel technical sessions, B2B meets, networking sessions, an open house reception and guided tours for international delegates.
As a special feature, for the first time in Bangladesh, CNN is going to host a fireside chat with Sheikh Hasina, hosted by Richard Quest, anchor and correspondent, CNN Business Editor at Large. CNN will also conduct a session on Bangladesh business opportunities and a panel discussion with Richard Quest.
The FBCCI is partnering with CNN to cover the event globally. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) are also working with the FBCCI for the summit.
While speaking as the chief guest at the briefing and networking luncheon event, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that the Bangladesh Business Summit is a very timely initiative in the backdrop of Covid-19 wave and Russia-Ukraine war and a desperately disrupted global economy and supply chain.
"Today we're here to listen to FBCCI about the plans and aims during the upcoming Business Summit and they've made their points. I'm particularly happy, my ministry, the ministry of
foreign affairs, also a key partner to this special event. We're working with our best possible calculations to stimulate our production ecosystem and keep trade in investment points."
Citing data, the Foreign Minister said that Bangladesh was moving towards the right direction to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2035. "We've potential to become an international business and manufacturing hub," he opined.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi thanked the FBCCI for taking this wonderful initiative to represent Bangladesh to the world as the business hub of Asia and beyond.
He said that Bangladesh stands as a success story attracting investors from the dominating global players like Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Japan, India, China, Russia and the USA while the sustainable progress of Bangladesh has been reflected in the UN declaration of Bangladesh as eligible for LDC graduation.
Tipu said that potential investors are expected to invest in a big way with the completion of 100 special economic zones in the country. Agriculture based economy is being replaced by export-oriented industrialization and gradually moving to a knowledge-based economy.
He requested the diplomats to join the FBCCI's 50 years' celebration and thus brand Bangladesh as the best trade and investment destination having lucrative business opportunities and incentives.
Md. Jashim Uddin, President of the FBCCI said, "This country is now moving forward with a new vision which is Smart Bangladesh. A cost-effective, sustainable, intelligent, knowledge-based, innovative and smart Bangladesh will be built on the four main foundations of smart citizen, smart economy, smart government and smart society by 2041."
He said that the FBCCI is also playing a significant role in making this journey successful. "As part of this journey, FBCCI is going to organise Bangladesh Business Summit 2023 to showcase all the improvements and dynamic business opportunities of this country."
The FBCCI senior vice president, Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu delivered the vote of thanks on the occasion.
Alongside ministers and ambassadors, the networking luncheon was attended by business leaders of Bangladesh, FBCCI members and officials, and other guests.
