The Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) held an important meeting on Sunday at the BCI office in Dhaka.
The meeting was hosted by BCI President Anwar-Ul Alam Chowdhury (Parvez) and attended by JETRO Country Representative Kazuiki Kataoka, according to a press release. Other attendees included BCI directors Dr Delowar Hossain Raja and Nazmul Anwar, BCI Member Ziauddin, and JETRO Senior Director Shoriful Alam. The proceedings were moderated by BCI Secretary General Dr Md Helal Uddin, NDC.
During the discussion, Anwar-Ul Alam Chowdhury highlighted the immense potential of cottage, micro, and small industries in Bangladesh, while noting that these sectors face a severe shortage of skilled manpower. He emphasised that developing skilled personnel is essential for achieving national economic objectives.
Chowdhury outlined a strategy to address the shortage by bringing skilled trainers from technically advanced countries like Japan to Bangladesh. These foreign experts would train local instructors through a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme, who would then create skilled workers and managers nationwide, helping to close the skills gap across industries such as micro and small enterprises, automobiles, agri-machinery, light engineering, and agro-processing.
In response, Kazuiki Kataoka confirmed that JETRO is committed to supporting Japanese investment and entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, with the aim of increasing overall Japanese investment in the country. After learning about BCI’s activities, Kataoka expressed interest in collaborating with the organisation and pledged to facilitate a meeting between BCI and Japanese industrial investors for further discussions.
He concluded by affirming that JETRO and BCI would continue communications on matters of mutual interest and thanked the BCI President for the invitation.
