President and members of the Board of Directors of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) on Sunday expressed their deep condolences and shock at the unexpected loss of lives of 37 people so far at the devastating fire incident happened at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda in Chattogram. They also expressed their deep sorrow and profound sympathy to the bereaved family members. Also read: DCCI invites Indian investors to invest in EZs in Bangladesh DCCI also prayed for the early recovery of the wounded in this fire incident. Moreover, Dhaka Chamber also emphasized to identify the cause of this unexpected incident and urged concerned authorities to be cautious in future, to avoid such loss of lives.

Speakers at a dialogue on Tuesday said that establishing a diplomatic mission of Romania in Dhaka will foster bilateral trade and investment as well as exporting of skilled workforce from Bangladesh to the East European country. Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) organized a dialogue on “Exploring Trade and Investment Opportunities between Bangladesh and Romania” in the capital. Read:Suspicious Transaction Reporting up by 43.67%: BFIU Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was present as chief guest while the Mayor of Bucharest, Romania Robert Negoita was present as special guest at the function.   Taposh urged the government of Romania to establish their diplomatic mission in Dhaka that will foster bilateral trade relations to a new height. He also hoped for an intense trade relationship between Bangladesh and Romania but for that exchange of visit of the business community is more important, he added. Mayor of the 3rd District of Bucharest, Romania Robert Negoita called for a reciprocal relationship among the business community of both the countries. In that case, the exchange of business delegation will enhance the communication, he said. Romania can be the gateway to Europe for Bangladesh, and to avail this opportunity investing in Romania will boost Bangladesh’s export to Europe, he added. He said that they can provide agriculture products and technology to Bangladesh. “Textiles products of Bangladesh have a good opportunity in Romania. The Romanian textile sector needs skilled workforce that Bangladesh has an opportunity to export,” he added. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman said that the government of Bangladesh is now emphasizing on intensifying economic diplomacy and prioritizing global integration. He said that the cross-border trade link of Bangladesh is in good shape with Europe, USA, Africa and Middle East. Romania has been a proven export destination of Bangladesh for a long. “The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Romania hovers around $49.97 million of which Bangladesh imports only $27.39 million. The trade needs to grow with a win-win situation exploiting new opportunities to expand economic cooperation in many dimensions,” he added. He requested Romanian businessmen to source furniture, plastic, pharmaceutical, ship, jute, leather products and RMG from Bangladesh at a relatively competitive price. Read:Bangladesh keen to sign FTA with South Korea, Tipu Munshi tells Ambassador Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT), signed in 1987, can be implemented to allow Romanian investors to invest in Bangladesh rewarding and competitive economic zones in the aforesaid sectors including the automobile sector, Rizwan said. DCCI and the Romanian private sector can play pivotal roles to harness mutual potentials, he also said. To steer all potential economic cooperation, he later urged the Romanian government to resume its diplomatic mission in Dhaka. Benjir Ahmed MP, Former President, BAIRA, Mansoor Ahmed, Senior Vice President of BKMEA, Md. Nurul Amin, Member of National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), among others, spoke at the function.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to work together and face the challenges of 4IR. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman and Vice Chancellor of BUET Prof. Satya Prasad Majumder signed the document on behalf of their respective organizations. Read: Vaccination for all to help achieve GDP target: DCCIAccording to the cooperation agreement, both DCCI and BUET will work together for skill development to meet up the challenges of fourth industrial revolution as well as to arrange joint research, seminars, webinars, job fairs, business meet and model development. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman said BUET has been contributing a lot in the country’s technological and infrastructural development since its inception. "Whether it is a matter of any mega infrastructure or disaster management issues, BUET always extended its forerunner role." He also put emphasis on developing innovative technologies, sector specific research as per the demand of industry. The DCCI chief said industry-academia collaboration like this one will foster skill development as per the need of the industries. Read:Collective efforts needed to address challenges of 4IR Considering the need of 4IR, it is the best time to take initiative of re-skilling and up skilling our work force, he added. Vice Chancellor of BUET Prof. Satya Prasad Majumder said Bangladesh is going to be a developing nation with an industrially advancement.  "For this we have to prepare ourselves identifying the problems of industry sector and ensure wider use of innovative technology and research," he said. BUET will also focus on the industry driven research. For this he requested for sharing Chamber’s business related database with BUET.  Read: Buet students threaten class boycott if Abrar murder accused continues classes He underscored the importance of proper implementation of this cooperation. "There is a need of students’ integration with the industry for their skill up gradation."DCCI Senior Vice President N K A Mobin, FCS, FCA, Vice President Monowar Hossain, BUET’s Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Abdul Jabbar Khan, Deans from different Faculties and different Heads of the departments also joined the signing ceremony among others virtually.   

M. Shahjahan Khan has been re-elected President of  Bangladesh Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTCCI) for the term 2021-2023. The annual general meeting (AGM) was held on Saturday.  Gaus Uddin Khan and Mohammed Hussain Sattar have been elected Senior Vice President and Vice President respectively along with Shamima Rahman, Director Administration, M. Salem Sulaiman, Director Finance for the same period. Read:Bangladesh elected to chair IOC Regional Committee for IOCINDIO The other newly elected Directors are Abul Kashem Khan, Jafer Ummed Khan, Md Enayet Husain, Hossain A Sikder, Md. Ahsanuzzaman, Shuchat Suntipada, Kiatkati Chaopaknam, Mohammad Junaed Ibne Ali, Zubair Hassan Chowdhury and B P Barua. M. Shahjahan Khan, the re-elected President of BTCCI, is the Chairman and Managing Director of S.S. Shipping and Chartering Limited, S.S. Builders & Developers Ltd, MSK Ship management & Chartering Ltd and Fatema Real Estate & Developers Ltd. He is a former President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), former Senior Vice President of Barisal Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also various position of some business body. Read: Bangladesh elected ILO Covid-19 Technical Committee chair Gaus Uddin Khan, Sr. Vice President is the Chairman of Moni Fashion Ltd and Assurance Development Ltd. Mohammed Hussain Sattar, Vice President is the Director of Utah Group. He is also a Director of Crest Garments Limited, Lables For Less Limited, Magnum Properties Limited and also holding various positions of some business and social organizations. The election of BTCCI was conducted by Engr. Rashed Maksud Khan, Chairman of the Election Board and former president of DCCI and BTCCI.   Read IPDC Finance Limited holds virtual AGM

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) has opened a separate ‘SME Development Department’ operating from  June 1 to facilitate its members of cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises sector.