Business
Banglalink, a2i team up to 'accelerate' Smart Bangladesh Vision
Banglalink and Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to open up new opportunities to "accelerate" the materialisation of the Smart Bangladesh Vision.
Under this partnership, Banglalink and a2i will explore the prospects of collaboration in a multitude of areas such as business development, education, Digibox, payment aggregation, MyGov services, village digital booth, interactive voice response (IVR) and data analytics, a2i Innovation Fund, and EkShop.
Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, project director of a2i, said: "It's great to have a partner like Banglalink, which has a successful track record of advancing the country's digital landscape. Their expertise can be highly effective in facilitating the government's ICT projects."
Taimur Rahman, chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer of Banglalink, said: "We are very pleased to form this partnership with a2i. This collaboration aims to explore several areas of mutual interest, and we believe it has the potential to bring about positive changes in the country's digital landscape."
Grameenphone users can now pay for 32 government services
Grameenphone subscribers can now pay for 32 government services using their mobile balance.
Recently Grameenphone and Aspire to Innovate (a2i) joined hands to introduce a secure and efficient payment method on the go for multiple government services through direct operator billing (DOB).
DOB is an easy and efficient method that enables subscribers to pay for services such as digitally consumable ones and utility bills from their handsets using mobile balance.
To use this option, a customer needs to select Mobile Balance from the ekPay payment gateway on the prottoyon.gov.bd portal while paying for the desired service.
After providing the mobile number and OTP, the service fee will be deducted from the subscriber's mobile balance. To use the facility, a subscriber must first complete profile creation on the portal through NID verification.
Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, a2i's project director (joint secretary) of the ICT Division, said: "Our unified mobile payment system, ekPay connects all banks and MFS providers to enable P2G (person to government) payments for hundreds of public services, including 23 utilities."
"Despite the meteoric rise of MFS and agent banking in the last decade, 18 percent of the adult population, especially in rural Bangladesh, is still unbanked. To promote inclusivity in P2G payments, we are introducing DOB with mobile operators in the government ecosystem."
"With this integration, we are ensuring that people from all walks of life have access to government services right at their fingertips through our nationwide network strength and coverage," said Solaiman Alam, CDO, Grameenphone.
Co-branded Visa credit cards launched for BGMEA
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Eastern Bank in association with Visa launched co-branded credit cards Thursday.
The co-branded cards will provide financial solutions to BGMEA employees and member organisations with a safer and more convenient payment option.
Ali Reza Iftekhar, managing director and CEO of EBL, said: "Today we are launching a sophisticated co-brand card that will make card payment transactions within and beyond Bangladesh seamless and hassle-free."
Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA, said: "Our collaboration with EBL has always been strong, and we're excited to expand it with this new offering."
The co-branded credit card will be available in two variants, Platinum and Signature and come with benefits like complimentary access to the EBL Skylounge at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram.
Cardholders can also request a priority pass card at zero issuance fees, which offers access to over 1,100 international airport lounges across 120 countries. They can also enjoy discounts at different lifestyle, shopping, and dining merchants, as well as by-one-get-one (BOGO) offers at renowned restaurants in Dhaka.
Two free supplementary cards will be available against a primary credit card issued.
PoultryTechBangladesh organises Master Farmer Training and Impact Tour
As an essential part of the PoultryTechBangladesh programme, to build on the business relationship and further cater towards the aid to trade initiative of the programme, a delegation of Dutch consortium partners visited Bangladesh recently.
The representatives from Larive International, Hato Agricultural Lighting, Van Aarsen, Hendrix Genetics, Mavitec, Nutreco, and Aeres International joined the delegation along with the officials of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh.
PoultryTechBangladesh is a public-private partnership of leading Dutch and Bangladeshi companies active in various parts of the poultry value chain. It aims to strengthen business relations between stakeholders in the Dutch and Bangladeshi poultry value chain, resulting in increased trade, investment, and cooperation and contributing to a more competitive and sustainable poultry sector in Bangladesh.
Consortium partner Aeres International conducted this training to ensure knowledge transfer and capacity building at the root level in 2022, and as the second step of the process, this year, participants from Aftab Bahumukhi Farms and Nourish Poultry attended a week-long training programme, where they conducted training sessions for regional grass-root level farmers in the presence of Helmich van Rees, Senior Trainer of Aeres International.
To improve the capacity of the participants, online training was provided by Aeres last month on curriculum development and facilitation skills.
During the delegation visit, PoultryTechBangladesh facilitated partnership between Nourish Poultry and Hatchery Ltd. and Hendrix Genetics SASSO to trial colored/traditional broiler breeds in Bangladesh.
The trial will start in May 2023, through which SASSO and Nourish will jointly showcase improved techniques for poultry farming, conducting research and trials with three SASSO breeds in Tangail, Bangladesh.
FBCCI wants import of broiler chicken, beef to calm down prices during Ramadan
Expressing concern over the high prices of beef and broiler chicken ahead of the Ramadan, FBCCI president Md Jasim Uddin on Thursday said the apex trade body will urge the government to import the items to keep prices under control.
“We are concerned over the rising prices of broiler chicken and beef,” said Jashim adding, “If this situation persists, the government should go for imports”.
The head of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said this while briefing the media on the current market prices of commodities ahead of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan at the federation building.
He said broiler chicken now sells at Tk 280 per kg and if the government thinks the import of the poultry will lower the price then it should go for that.
He said that beef in Dubai, UAE sells at Tk500 per kg even if the country does not raise cattle. If UAE can sell beef at Tk500 per kg by importing it, why should Bangladeshi people buy locally produced beef at such a higher price?
Bangladesh, he said, banned import of poultry chicken and beef to protect the local industry.
Read more: FBCCI seeks dollars from reserves to import commodities for Ramadan
The FBCCI chief said if the local industry can't provide beef and broiler chicken at an affordable price, then the Ministry of Commerce should lift the ban to allow imports for an interim period.
“If the market price decreases by importing, then it should be done. If people cannot buy products at a fair price, there is no point in caring about the industry,” Jashim said.
He said this season more dates have been imported than the demand. Not only dates, other products including sugar and edible oil are also adequately available.
He said the license of the trade organization that charges higher prices will be canceled.
“We do not want any trader's license to be revoked or anyone to be arrested for charging high prices in Ramadan,” said the FBCCI president.
FBCCI Senior Vice Presidents Mustafa Azad Chowdhury Babu, MA Momen, president of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association Helal Uddin and members of the market monitoring committee along with leaders of different organizations related to commodities business were present in the meeting.
BGMEA for air cargo capacity development for meeting growing trade demand
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has stressed the need for continuing enhancement of the capacity and efficiency of air cargo handling to meet the growing demand for air transportation and contribute to further economic growth in the country.
"Bangladesh aims to pursue a higher growth vision where the export-oriented industrial sector will play a vital role in spurring economic development. Our economy is growing, so are the import exports and investment, requiring the capacity expansion of infrastructure in the country," BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said Wednesday.
He made the observations while addressing a panel discussion at the Bangladesh Aviation Summit 2023 in Dhaka.
Mahbubul Anam, managing director of Expo Freight, and Bernard de lEstoile, freighter marketing director of Airbus Commercial, also spoke at the panel titled "Unleashing the potential of Bangladesh's air cargo market."
Faruque said in this fast fashion era where the less lead time the better, air cargo plays a complementary role in the growth of the apparel industry of Bangladesh.
"Dependency on air shipment in critical times is getting increased day by day," he added.
He also said, "While sea freight constitutes most of our import and export trade, air freight is on the rise since our overall trade is increasing. To meet the demand of the buyers and lead time, we have to ship the goods by air. Also, some high-end fashionable and sensitive products need to be transported very quickly by air."
He called on the government to continue expanding the capacity and efficiency of air shipment and cargo handling in line with the growing demand of the country.
BGMEA, Apon to work for improving RMG workers’ well-being
Apon Bazar, Bangladesh’s first and largest workers' wellbeing platform offering discounted grocery, credit facility and health insurance, announced a partnership with Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
The announcement was made during a meeting on March 22 at the BGMEA office.
On behalf of BGMEA, its President Faruque Hassan and Neela Hosna Ara, director, and Saif Rashid, managing director, Yasir Arafat, director of Apon were present during the meeting.
“Our workers and employees are the strength of the RMG industry, hence their well-being is crucial for the sector’s sustainable growth. This partnership with Apon is one of the many steps taken by BGMEA to improve the health and well-being of the garment workers. We hope more factories will partner with Apon to provide quality services for the workers and employees of garment factories,” said Faruque.
Apon has built a holistic well-being platform and made it successful through its factory-based grocery store chain at its core.
It lets workers access to credit at no cost, discount on groceries and free health coverage and awareness on nutrition and health.
Apon is currently operating in 26 factories and serving more than 100,000 workers. This is proven to reduce worker migration, improve productivity, and increase business savings.
“We are very grateful to receive this immense support from BGMEA and are strongly committed to increasing financial well-being for Bangladeshi workers,” said Saif Rashid, Apon MD.
RMG factories opting for value-added products: BGMEA Faruque
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan yesterday said Bangladeshi garment factories were opting for value-added products while investing in technology up gradation to enhance efficiency and productivity.
He said this while a delegation of American & Efird (A&E) Bangladesh led by its Managing Director Angelo Leanage called on him.
Deputy Managing Director of A&E (Bangladesh) Syed Arefin and Director- GRS Asia Region HSM Iftekhar Husain were present at the time.
They discussed various issues related to the RMG industry, including the present situation of the sector, global market demand and trends, current challenges and opportunities.
The potential of collaboration between BGMEA and A&E to support the industry’s transition towards manufacturing value-added apparels garments, especially man-made fibre based garments were also discussed.
As a manufacturer and distributor of premium quality industrial and consumer sewing thread, embroidery thread and technical textiles, A&E could expand its business in Bangladesh and strengthen partnership with the garment companies, said the BGMEA president.
“We are happy to know that A&E has expanded its manufacturing footprint in Chittagong that will help to cater more to the needs of the apparel sectors. We hope A&E will bring more quality products for the garment factories that will increase efficiency in the production process,” he said.
Faruque Hassan requested the A&E to encourage the buyers it works with to source apparels from Bangladesh.
New BCCCI executive committee takes charge
The newly elected executive committee of the Bangladesh China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCCI) for 2023-2025 officially took charge at a ceremony in the capital Wednesday.
Md Mursheduzzaman, chairman of the election board, declared the election results.
Gazi Golam Murtoza, deputy managing director of Gazi Group, was reelected as the president and Al Mamun Mridha, managing director of Mridha Business, was elected the secretary general of the BCCCI, respectively.
Md Shahjahan Mridha Benu, chairman of Agro Business, was elected senior vice president and Brigadier General Shah Md Sultan Uddin Iqbal (retired), managing director of Lumbini, ATM Azizul Akil David, managing director of Aridod Tech Serv, were reelected senior vice-presidents.
Badrul Alam Khan, director of Gazi Group, Mohammad Ishaqul Hossain Sweet, proprietor of Tohfa Enterprise, Md Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, chairman of Platinum Tissue and Paper, and Md Shahid Alam, vice-chairman of Shah Fatehullah Textile Mills, were also reelected as vice-presidents.
Md Faizul Alam, managing director of Savor International, was elected as the joint secretary general.
The other Executive Committee members who were reelected are Meherun Nessa Islam, president and group managing director of CEMS, SK Aminuddin (Milon), director of Akij Group, Syed Aminul Kabir, CEO of May International Trade Services, Li Xiao, country manager of Union Resources and Engineering, and Md Monirul Islam, managing director of Maak Furniture.
The newly elected executive committee members are Mohammad Hafizur Rahman Khan, managing director of Univentures, Khandaker Atiqur Rahman, managing director of ARK Consultant and Engineering, Md Haroon Ur Rashid, chairman of Hena Enterprises, Arefeen Raafi Ahmed, director of Techno Drugs, Kazi Newaz Ibne Mahtab, senior partner of Bowling Footwears, and Zakir Uddin Ahmed, chief executive officer of ZM International.
Indian businesses eager to invest in various sectors
Indian businesses want to invest heavily in various sectors in Bangladesh, said representatives of the Bharat Chamber of Commerce at a view exchange meeting with high officials of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) yesterday.
Lokman Hossain Miah, BIDA executive chairman presided over the meeting.
Shah Mohammad Mahbub, BIDA director general, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the gradual economic development and future plans of Bangladesh, various sectors of investment, investment facilities and overall activities of BIDA.
"In the recent decade, Bangladesh's infrastructural development, political stability, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and consistent economic growth, have made Bangladesh one of the greatest investment destinations," Lokman said.
“Bangladesh is a large and growing market of 170 million people and the number of our middle class is also increasing day by day, in addition, we have already taken various investment expansion activities including the establishment of 100 economic zones, 27 hi-tech parks,” he said.
“As a result, Bangladesh will become an upper middle-income country after a decade, so now is the best time to invest in Bangladesh,” the BIDA executive chairman added.
NG Khaitan, president of the Bharat Chamber of Commerce, praised Bangladesh’s gradual development and said, "India and Bangladesh have always been friendly countries, and Bangladesh’s development in the last ten years is visible, Indian investors are always eager to be a partner in this development."
"We are on a four-day visit to Bangladesh to examine the areas of investment. Our investors are keen to invest in different sectors here,” said Avik Roy, secretary of the Bharat Chamber of Commerce.
Senior officials of BIDA were present on the occasion.