Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Saturday inaugurated the ‘Bangladesh Business Summit 2023’ to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of country's apex business body FBCCI.
As the chief guest, she opened the three-day summit at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
The foreign ministry, the commerce ministry and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) have partnered with FBCCI for the summit.
Ministers from seven countries including the United Kingdom (UK), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), China, Bhutan and the United Arab Emirates, CEOs of 12 multinational companies and more than 200 foreign investors and business leaders from 17 countries of the world are participating in the summit.
Minister of commerce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Majeed bin Abdullah Alkussabi, minister of industry, commerce and employment in Bhutan Karma Dorji, deputy director general of the World Trade Organisation ambassador Xiangchen Zhang spoke at the event.
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, commerce minister Tipu Munshi and PM's private industries and investment adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman also spoke at the time.
FBCCI president Md Jashim Uddin delivered the welcome address.
The event is being organised as a part of FBCCI's 50th founding anniversary celebrations with the aim of creating new opportunities for trade and investment by showcasing the country's economic potential before a global audience.
The summit will highlight the success stories that have set the foundation for Bangladesh's sustainable growth.
This summit will play an important role in tapping Bangladesh's full economic potential, expanding trade and attracting investments.
Business representatives from both home and abroad have paid considerable sums as a registration fee to participate in the event.
Companies like Walmart and Zara have made their appearances in Kolkata. Now, the time has come for them to step into Bangladesh.
Apart from creating high export potentials, the local consumer market has also been expanded.
The countrywide 100 special economic zones are now more visible than in the past and there is a need to project such capacity as the government has been prioritising the facilitation of business to move the economy forward.
Some 750 people have already registered for the summit. Apart from this, a number of people will attend the summit without registration.
The summit will showcase dynamic business investment opportunities and improvements to the local business climate while also giving insights on investment priorities of global investors to improve policy-making.
The summit will also facilitate the exchange of success stories and good practices among investors.
There will be three plenary sessions on strategic issues, 13 parallel sessions, business-to-business meets, networking sessions, open house reception and guided tours for international delegates.
The summit will feature the ‘CNN Experience’, which will contain a series of thought-leadership sessions focusing on the country's business climate, investment opportunities, and future sustainable impetus.
A video presentation was screened on 'what the new Bangladesh is going to be'.