United News of Bangladesh

Breaking away from traditional career expectations, an increasing number of women in Khagrachhari are choosing entrepreneurship over conventional jobs, emerging as successful business owners and contributing to the local economy. After completing their education, many women in the hill district are no longer waiting for government or private sector jobs. Instead, they are launching their own ventures, ranging from clothing and fashion businesses to traditional jewellery and indigenous handmade products. Women entrepreneurs in the district say they will be able to generate more employment opportunities and make a significant contribution to the country’s economy if they receive low-interest loans, flexible financing and stronger government patronage. Challenging the long-held notion that women are confined to household chores and childcare, women entrepreneurs in Khagrachhari are proving their capabilities in business and innovation. According to local entrepreneurs, around 45-50 women in the district are currently engaged in various businesses. Many are involved in clothing trade, fashion accessories and the marketing of traditional indigenous attire, including Pinon Hadi, a popular garment worn by ethnic minority women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Several of them have already achieved notable success, although they say additional institutional support is necessary to scale up their businesses. Among the prominent entrepreneurs are Tejashree Chakma, proprietor of Fusion Mart; Baby Chakma, owner of Fashion Code; and Hira Chakma, proprietor of Hira Fashion. They said most women entrepreneurs in Khagrachhari are educated and deliberately chose business as a profession instead of pursuing conventional employment after graduation. They also said experienced entrepreneurs are encouraging newcomers, and a stronger community network among both new and established businesswomen could further strengthen the district’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Speakers at a seminar highlighted that the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector should encourage more women entrepreneurs, stressing that trade licensing processes and access to finance must be simplified and made more women-friendly. They also emphasized that women’s active participation in the workforce is essential for the continued growth and prosperity of Bangladesh and reiterated JBCCI’s continued support and commitment to the cause. Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI), an association for business development between Bangladesh and Japan, and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) organized the seminar jointly on “Rights, Equality, Empowerment: A Discussion on Women’s Progress in Bangladesh” at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday. Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh Takahashi Naoki thanked JBCCI for organizing this important session and acknowledged Bangladesh’s remarkable achievements in women's employment and empowerment. Bangladesh, Japan forge stronger SME collaboration at ICOSA roundtable in Tokyo “Japan believes that women empowerment and opportunities in employment are very essential for the progress of a country,” he said while speaking at the seminar as the chief guest. He also mentioned Japan is working for the Rohingya and their wellbeing along with Bangladesh, according to a media release issued by the JBCCI on Monday. Naoki also recognized JBCCI’s pivotal role in enhancing Japanese investments in Bangladesh. Professor and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha and Country Managing Director, Oracle Bangladesh Rubaba Dowla attended the event as special guest. The members of JBCCI and JETRO and representatives from different organizations in the public and private sector participated in the seminar. Executive Director of JBCCI Tahera Ahsan moderated the seminar while the welcome speech was delivered by President of JBCCI Tareq Rafi Bhuiyan (Jun) where he highlighted the contributions of women to the economic development of Bangladesh. Secretary General of JBCCI Maria Howlader delivered the key remarks where she highlighted where the global gender parity rates stand in line with the SDG goal no.5 and also iterated the call for action for achieving equality and parity for women. President of Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) Selima Ahmad also shared her views as a guest speaker and shared snippets from her experiences and hurdles as a professional woman. Sayema Haque Bidisha mentioned around 50 percent of small and medium entrepreneurs are women. She discussed the formal and informal sector employment divide between male and female workers and how 70% of women work in agriculture which is categorized as informal work. She commented on the quality of female employment, not just to focus on quantity. Rubaba Dowla emphasized that women's presence in the workplace is crucial for ensuring the sustainable growth of the economy. She noted that ’disruption’ is the call for the day and inclusive practices should be the norm by now rather than a special initiative. She stressed on accelerating action and mentioned that it is time to start pushing invisible and divisive boundaries. The event also featured a panel discussion, moderated by Tahera Ahsan. Panelists included Kazi Rubaiya Islam, Corporate and Media Relations Lead at JTI, Uzma Chowdhury, CPA, Director (Finance) at Pran-RFL Group and Aminata BA, Assistant Manager at Mitsubishi Corporation, Dhaka. They shared personal experiences, highlighting the evolution and growing impact of women in various sectors. The panelists observed that women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh are thriving and making significant contributions alongside their male counterparts. They underscored the need for employment services that support women in the workplace such as maternity leaves and day cares and also emphasized the need for changing gender-biased mindsets and out social conditioning, at the household, professional and public spheres. Uzma Chowdhury highlighted good industry practices from Pran-RFL in ensuring safety, security and maternity leave for women. The performance of women is ahead of men employees in many sections. She add that maternity leave and daycare facilities have ensured women employees' dedication to serve the company Anwar Shahid, Vice President of JBCCI thanked everyone for attending the program and appreciated all the discussants for their valuable insights and success stories which will inspire others too.  

Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus has said empowering women by turning them into entrepreneurs is key to the overall development of society and the focus of any government should be on creating entrepreneurs, not job seekers. Yunus was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Bodoland Knowledge Festival in Kokrajhar, the administrative headquarters of the Bodoland Autonomous Region of Assam. He was invited as the chief guest at the festival which took place from February 27 to March 2. Yunus said: "We just do not give a chance to people to become entrepreneurs. We push them to become job-seeker instead." "Grameen Bank's initiatives could bring a change in Bangladesh by turning women into entrepreneurs. "If 10 million women (borrowers of Grameen Bank) could become entrepreneurs, then we can easily conclude anybody can become an entrepreneur." The festival focused on implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) and the world at large. Issues discussed included science and technology, indigenous knowledge systems, women empowerment, child rights and protection, peace-building and good governance, and the role of BTR. More than 300 delegates from across India, and 35 from 14 countries participated in the festival. Besides addressing the festival, Yunus spoke at Bodoland College and Bodoland University. He spoke to the students and teachers at Rangiya College and Guwahati University. He had an intensive exchange of thoughts on education with the vice-chancellors of 10 universities in Assam in a special session on the sideline of the Bodoland Knowledge Festival. BTR was created through a peace treaty in 2020 after almost 30 years of underground armed struggle by Bodos of Assam demanding a separate state for them. Many people gave their lives in the struggle. Under the peace treaty, an autonomous Bodoland territorial region was created under the leadership of Promod Boro who became the first chief executive of the autonomous Bodo territory to ensure autonomy for the Bodo people. Knowledge Festival was the first international event organised by the Bodoland Territorial Council to get connected with the bigger world to find ideas to bring changes to Bodo people.  

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said he is confident that bank loans given to women entrepreneurs are repaid in 99 percent cases. “They don’t run away with the money like the others, at least,” he said. The commerce minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at an event on the occasion of International Women's Entrepreneurship Day and 5th founding anniversary of Women Entrepreneurs Network for Development Association (WEND) at Gulshan Shooting Club Auditorium on Saturday (November 19) night. Tipu Munshi said, “We should support our women entrepreneurs. The path for women will not be easy. But they must go forward with courage.” Read: Sugar prices to be stable soon, says Commerce Minister "We will take initiative to ensure market access for women entrepreneurs," Munshi said. Jasim Uddin, President of FBCCI, said that women entrepreneurs face obstacles in getting loans. FBCCI is negotiating with Bangladesh Bank so that they can get loans easily. "We have opened a wing on behalf of FBCCI to provide business support to new entrepreneurs. All information can be found in that wing. We focus on innovation and creating new designs for women entrepreneurs," he added. European Union Ambassador in Dhaka, Charles Whiteley, said that it is necessary to ensure that women can easily get bank loans to do business. "I recently visited Chattogram and Rangamati. Many women there said they have business ideas," he said. But they do not own any land. So they are not able to use the land as collateral, and as a result, they are not getting loans, he added. WEND President Dr. Nadia Binte Amin, USAID Feed the Future Bangladesh Trade Activity Chief Mark Shaiman, Export Readiness Fund (ERF) Program Team Leader Dave Runganaikaloo, also spoke at the function. Read: Target $100 bn export earnings by 2026: Commerce Minister At the event, WEND presented the 'Special Women's Empowerment Award' to Bangladesh Export Development Bureau (EPB) for taking important steps in empowering women entrepreneurs. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi handed over the award to EPB Vice Chairman AH Ahsan.

The Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) Project of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division Sunday distributed a Tk1.25 crore grant to 250 women entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs received a one-time grant of Tk50,000 each at the 92nd birth anniversary programme of Bangamata Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib in Dhaka. ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak handed over the cheques to the women entrepreneurs. The IDEA project undertook the initiative to provide grants to startups, small and medium enterprises, and entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, to develop, encourage and accelerate their businesses. Read: 80% of travel market remains unexplored: Palak Palak said: "The failure rate of women entrepreneurs is lower than men. Our mothers and daughters are thrifty. I think the grant given to these entrepreneurs will not go to waste." "This is not the end; every year on August 8, 1000 Bengali entrepreneurs get grants. The ICT Division will do its best to provide training, co-working space and seed money to women entrepreneurs to create 50 percent women entrepreneurs by 2041."

Bangladesh’s first-ever social media prepaid card was launched on Wednesday, aimed at encouraging women to start Facebook-centric businesses. MasterCard, Mutual Trust Bank, and e-Courier have jointly launched the prepaid card at an event in the capital. The card is designed specifically for women entrepreneurs so that they can benefit from Facebook-centric businesses. READ: Contactless payment service to be available for debit, prepaid card users: BB The card has a dual currency facility for entrepreneurs to use their Facebook page without any third-party payment assistance. The e-courier will transfer funds directly to the client's prepaid card, so women entrepreneurs do not have to go to the e-courier to collect cash in person. This card includes special discounts on e-commerce portals, jewelry shops, groceries, and clothing stores, specially designed for cardholders. Read BYLC Ventures opens applications for the 5th cohort Cardholders will have a dual currency transaction facility at more than 5,000 outlets in Bangladesh, Bogo (buy-one-get-one) at hotel locations, dining and lifestyle offer an easy subscription on streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.), MTB Green Pin services, SMS banking, POS services, ATM and QR-code transaction facilities. Biplob Ghosh Rahul, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of e-Courier, said, “E-Courier is pleased to launch for the first time a co-branded prepaid card for women entrepreneurs in a joint venture with MasterCard and Mutual Trust Bank. E-Courier is the first private logistics and courier brand in Bangladesh, which has been supporting women entrepreneurs and their endeavours through sophisticated and specialized logistics solutions for the past eight years. Read Sonia Bashir, 2 other Bangladeshis among 100 Global Tech's Changemakers Syed Mohammad Kamal, country manager, MasterCard Bangladesh, said, “The pandemic has had a significant impact on consumer spending growth on e-commerce channels like Facebook.” The women entrepreneurs are contributing to the F-Commerce sector in Bangladesh that is why this card was introduced, he said. Syed Mahbubur Rahman, MD & CEO, Mutual Trust Bank (MTB), said, “MTB has always played a leading role in implementing innovative payment solutions. Read BUILD's initiative to harmonise terminology around women entrepreneurs “Introducing co-branded prepaid cards jointly will ensure various financial benefits. This will further facilitate the expansion of trade and commerce in Bangladesh's growing F-commerce sector,” he added.

The association of jewellery traders, Bangladesh Jewellery Samity, or BAJUS, has honoured three of the leading women entrepreneurs in recognition of their contribution to the jewellery industry, on the occasion of International Women's Day, 2022. In its first such initiative, BAJUS recognised Kazi Nazneen Islam Nipa, co-founder of Amin Jewelers, Krishna Karmakar, co-founder of Bangladesh Pearl House, and Tahmina Enayet, co-founder of Pearls Paradise. Read:Jewelry sector holds potentials to grow in Bangladesh: BAJUS leaders The women's award was presented at a colourful function held at the BAJUS office of Bashundhara City Shopping Complex in the capital on Sunday. Its president Sayem Sobhan Anvir was the chief guest on the occasion. Anvir's wife Sabrina, Director at Bashundhara Group, was there as the special guest. Farida Hossain, chairperson of BAJUS Standing Committee on Women's Affairs, presided over the function. The keynote address was delivered by Sultana Razia and Tasnim Naz, members of BAJUS Standing Committee on Women's Affairs.

Business loans provide entrepreneurs and startup founders the much-needed capital for expanding their operations. But lower cost of borrowing is what matters the most to them. To spruce up credit demand and encourage more women to begin their own venture, Bangladesh Bank (BB) is now wooing the female entrepreneurs of the country with lower interest rates. As the biggest step, the central bank has reduced the interest rate from 7 to 5% in line with its ambitious target of disbursing at least 15% of the loan amount earmarked for the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to women entrepreneurs by 2024. Read Some Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh in Diverse Sectors At the same time, the central bank has reduced the interest rate from 3 to 0.5% at the institutional level as an incentive to banks and financial institutions for providing loans to women entrepreneurs.

Speakers at a webinar on Thursday called for focusing support to SMEs, particularly women entrepreneurs,  as they are struggling to survive. Women-led enterprises in Bangladesh have long faced policy hurdles in accessing finance from formal channels. Financial institutions are also reluctant to provide loans to women entrepreneurs, including under government announced stimulus packages, they said. Just 5.6 percent of recipients of the government- announced Tk 200 billion stimulus package for the small- to medium-sized enterprises (SME) are women, and they are mostly urban-based, they added. Amid all the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs, the topic of gender inclusion has gained momentum among the investor circle. Read: BGMEA seeks Russian support for RMG exports Apart from providing capital to women entrepreneurs, it is also essential to acknowledge that additional support to build women networks and create opportunities for women to rise to leadership positions through organizational policies are also essential tools to promote women’s economic participation. The SME sector contributes 20-25 percent to Bangladesh’s GDP. If female entrepreneurs get necessary support, then the sector’s contribution to GDP would increase, they observed.  Addressing in the webinar titled ‘Gender inclusion through investing’, they insisted on improving women’s access to finance and to adopt a gender-lens approach throughout the investment lifecycle, including the origination and selection process. A panel of investors, entrepreneurs, lawyers and intermediaries joined the discussion to share their unique experiences and perspectives for the audiences to better understand how impact can be amplified to improve gender inclusion through investments. Sylvana Q. Sinha, Founder, Chair, & CEO at Praava Health; Anita Ghazi Rahman, Founder and Managing Partner at The Legal Circle; and Bijon Islam, Co-Founder and CEO at LightCastle Partners; discussed about the potential of gender inclusion through impact investing in Bangladesh. Nirjhor Rahman, CEO of Bangladesh Angels, shared the latest update from the Bangladesh Women Angels Network chapter, which is going to be launched soon. Read: Investment proposals grow 46.33 pc in July-September 2021: BIDA The session was moderated by Maxime Cheng, Lead Market and Capacity Building Program at Roots of Impact. B-Briddhi is a multi-year partnership between the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, Roots of Impact, LightCastle Partners, and other stakeholders including investors, private sector organisations, incubators, and support organisations for impact enterprises.  

Laalsobuj.com, an online marketplace driven by rural women under patron of the  Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, has signed an agreement with homegrown tech based logistic company Paperfly to make it their delivery partner. Laalsobuj.com Chairman- Sadruddin Imran and Paperfly Chief Marketing Officer and cofounder Rahath Ahmed signed the agreement recently regarding the service partnership, said a media release on Sunday.  According to the agreement, Paperfly will deliver the product of laalsobuj.com at buyers’ doorsteps leveraging its strongest doorstep delivery network across Bangladesh. READ: Paperfly to deliver authentic beauty products of Shajgoj all over Bangladesh From Laalsobuj.com, Director- Rubaiyat Bin Arif, Chief Operating Officer (COO) - Mohammad Nazmul Ahsan, Sr. Software Executive- Md Mahmudul Hasan Khan and from Paperfly, General Manager, Sales and Key Accounts- Sazzadul Islam Fahmy and Executive, Sales and Key and Accounts- Afsana Yasmin were present among others during the signing ceremony. Regarding the partnership with Laalsobuj, Paperfly Chief Marketing Officer Rahath Ahmed said this online market place is driven by the rural women who have a great objective in social empowerment and Paperfly is proud to be part of this. Chairman, Sadruddin Imran said the objective of laalsobuj.com is to make a significant contribution to the economic emancipation of women by bringing the products of millions of women entrepreneurs across the country to the digital buyers through e-commerce and thus empower rural women. Read Truck Lagbe: Story of a Successful Digital Trucking Startup in Bangladesh This marketplace is dedicated for rural women entrepreneurs under TotthoApa project implemented by ‘Jatiyo Mohila Sangstha’ under the ministry. Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute under Ministry of Commerce provides technical support to the ecommerce platform. With the help of 1,470 dedicated TotthoApas (women who provide information services), these entrepreneurs scattered in remote areas of Bangladesh are showcasing their products in the marketplace. READ: Paperfly celebrates 5-year of excellence Since commencing market launching in early 2016, Paperfly  came into limelight by introducing doorstep delivery, competitive price, best in class customer service and services like 1 hour merchant payment, Smart Return, Smart Check and much more. The robust network of Paperfly is capable of delivering any size of products or shipments anywhere in Bangladesh, said a press release.