To promote Nordic businesses and investments in Bangladesh, the Embassies of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in collaboration with the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh (NCCI) on Tuesday organized a business promotion event with a specific focus on sustainability.
The event was arranged as a part of the Nordic countries’ celebration of 50 years of bilateral relations with Bangladesh this year.
Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Industries Minister, attended the event as the chief guest and highlighted the long standing, and friendly relations between Bangladesh and the Nordic countries.
He expressed his hope that these ties will be strengthened even further in the imminent future, with more Nordic-Bangladeshi cooperation in areas like sustainability and business investment.
The Nordic countries were among the first to recognize Bangladesh, on 4 February 1972.
Over the years, the volume of trade and investment between the Nordic countries and Bangladesh has grown steadily and there is an increased interest in expanding the overall business relations.
More than 100 Nordic companies do business in Bangladesh, which is a signal of a dynamic partnership in transition. Some of the Nordic investments and imports have gone beyond business purposes and helped empower millions of people (e.g., Grameenphone, H&M and Arla).
During the event, the Ambassador of Denmark, Winnie Estrup Petersen, the Ambassador of Norway, Espen Rikter-Svendsen and the Ambassador of Sweden, Alex Berg von Linde stressed the importance and need for sustainability, where Nordic companies are well-placed to supply many advanced skills, goods, services and technical solutions that Bangladesh will need to continue on its path of sustainable development and economic growth.
A number of Nordic companies with engagement in Bangladesh attended the event together with the Bangladesh business community, prominent business chambers and associations, government bodies and companies, development partners and representatives of the diplomatic community.
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The event provided an arena for discussions between a wide range of relevant stakeholders.
Four breakout sessions focused on business sectors like telecom & ICT; energy and power; agriculture and food and logistics and manufacturing.
The event also created an opportunity for the Nordic companies to network with Bangladeshi counterparts, and highlight their work related to sustainability in Bangladesh.
The scope for increased commercial interaction between the Nordic countries and Bangladesh was emphasized during the event, and the added value of the Nordic companies in areas such as sustainability, the green transition, blue economy, smart cities, urbanization, and digitalization.
The strong relation between the Nordic countries and Bangladesh was reaffirmed as well as the opportunities to expand even stronger economic ties through trade and investment.