Business Desk :
A webinar titled ‘Bangladesh and ROK: Trade and Investment Opportunities’, organized by the Embassy of Bangladesh in Seoul was held on Wednesday. It discussed and exchanged views on the existing trend of bilateral cooperation especially in Pharmaceutical and Bio Industry including the ICT sector as well as charting future course of action in expanding cooperation in these thriving sectors. Prime Minister’s Private Investment and Industry Affairs Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman was chief guest while Lee Jang-keun, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh was also guest of honour.
During his speach, Salman F. Rahman reflected on the achievements and potentials of Bangladesh in the sectors and provided guidance, recommendations and future directions of engagements in promoting cooperation in Pharmaceutical, Bio Industry and the ICT sector. On the other hand, Lee Jang-keun highlighted the existing challenges in bilateral trade and investment and called upon the relevant businessmen and investors of both the countries to explore opportunities and tap potentials of the above sectors to further deepen the existing bilateral relationship, said a press release.
Former member of Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission Dr. Mostafa Abid Khan was the keynote speaker of the webinar. Bangladesh ambassador to Korea Abida Islam moderated the programme.
The panellists of the webinar from Bangladesh side included Md. Sirazul Islam, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Paban Chowdhury, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA), Sultana Afroz, Secretary & CEO of Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA), Major General Md. Nazrul Islam, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), Bikarna Kumar Ghosh, Managing Director of Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, Partha Pratim Deb, Executive Director of Bangladesh Computer Council, Md. Jashim Uddin, President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FBBCI) and Syed Almas Kabir, President of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) were joined.
Speakers from the Korea side were Hong Kwang Hee, President of the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA), Hakhee JO, Vice Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and Kihak Sung, Chairman of the Youngone Corporation.
The Bio and Pharmaceutical sectors of Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea were represented by Abdul Muktadir, Chairman, INCEPTA Pharmaceuticals Limited and Arif Dowla, Group Managing Director of ACI Pharmaceuticals Limited, Professor Keeseon S. Eom, President of the International Parasite Resource Bank, JeyKey Lee, Director, GIG International Company Limited and Choi Sun-hee, CAC Trading Company Limited.
Representatives of the ICT related companies from both the countries like Lee Jangho, General Manager, Samsung S1 Corporation, Enayetur Rahman, CEO, ULKASEMI, M N Islam, CEO, TiCon System Limited also spoke and representative from the HSBC Bank, Dhaka Shadab Hossain also made important contributions during the Seminar.
The speakers took stock of the existing bilateral economic cooperation particularly in the ICT, pharmaceuticals and bio industry sectors and underscored the need to foster more collaborative engagements in those thriving sectors with an aim to further deepen and strengthen the existing partnership.
