Over 200 foreign delegates to attend Bangladesh Business Summit next week: FBCCI

More than 200 foreign delegates have confirmed their participation in the upcoming Bangladesh Business Summit 2023 organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

FBCCI President Jashim Uddin made the announcement during a media briefing in Dhaka on Saturday. Senior vice presidents and vice presidents of the FBCCI were present at the briefing.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 3-day summit, beginning on March 11 to mark FBCCI's 50th anniversary. Commerce and foreign affairs ministries and BIDA are co-partners of the summit.

Ministers and state ministers from nine countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, China, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Bhutan will attend the summit, the FBCCI president said.

Over a dozen of global and regional CEOs of multinational companies have already confirmed their participation, he informed.

Ministers, economists, business leaders, and foreign delegates will participate in several panel discussions on a wide range of business and economic issues.

Furthermore, a separate session on Japan has been scheduled upon the request of the Asian economic giant.

Richard Quest, anchor, correspondent and CNN Business editor-at-large, will speak to business leaders from major international companies and those responsible for creating a business environment in Bangladesh.

At the media briefing, the FBCCI president expressed his enthusiasm to showcase Bangladesh's world-class products to the foreign delegates.

Bangladesh is an emerging economy and is set to graduate from its LDC status in 2026 and the country's GDP has grown from $90 billion in 2008 to $460 billion this year, Jashim Uddin mentioned.

He believes that Bangladesh can be the future manufacturing hub of the world as the country's market is among the fastest growing with the rising purchasing power of its consumers.

With a population of 170 million, of which 65% are in the working-age category, Bangladesh can aim to become the next manufacturing and digital economy hub, he added.

The FBCCI president also stated that investment opportunities worth $100 billion are in the pipeline in Bangladesh.

Furthermore, with rising labour costs in China, the country's current demographic dividend will prove vital in attracting investors, he said.

The FBCCI president also mentioned that Bangladesh has several large-scale ports, 100 economic zones, a transformed power and energy sector along with serviced land, an improved business environment, and simplified regulations.

All these can help develop Bangladesh into a haven for investors, Jashim Uddin believes.