Breakout Sessions
The summary report was made by Mr. Rommel Sim Gerodias, CEO of Hauptmann Consulting and Business Solutions (Philippines) on behalf of the session Chairman, Mr. Md. Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Chairman and Chief Executive, Pran Group. In his report, Mr. Gerodias informed the CACCI Council that the session was attended by a good number of delegates and that the following speakers made their respective presentations:
(1.a.) Mr. Nurul Afsar of the Bangladesh National Team Leader of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations discussed mainly on Food Security and its four pillars (Access, Stability, Availability and Utilization of Food) and the efforts of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority in creating policies and upgrading the compliance of Bangladesh with the International standards of Food Safety.
(1.b.) Mr. Tin Tseng, Junior Specialist of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), discussed the focus of ICDF in agriculture in achieving food security in the majority of their projects. He presented the case of their Marshall Islands Project where they were able to help farmers earn from US$100to US$1,200 per year.
(1.c.) Mr. Rommel Sim Gerodias focused on the discussion of ONE HEALTH, the collaborative effort of multi-disciplines, working locally, nationally and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment. He also presented some statistics on foodborne illnesses globally and within Asia Pacific from the World Health Organization (WHO).
(1.d.) Mr. Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Chairman and Chief Executive, Pran Group and who served as the session chairmn, solicited inputs from the participants on their views about food safety, food security and cooperation between governments and the private sector. Two members of the parliament who attended the breakout session gave their inputs on Nutrition, the balance of consumption of food between countries, sharing of expertise (such as those of the Philippines and Thailand) with Bangladesh.
(1.e) The session generally gave strong focus on the United Nations Sustainability Goals on Poverty and Hunger
Mr. Mangesh Lal Shrestha, Global Vice President of Growth, Frost & Sullivan, and Former President, Nepalese Young Entrepreneur Forum – who served as Moderator of the breakout session on “Promoting Entrepreneurship” – reported that the session featured six speakers and panelists, including himself,
The other presenters and panelists included Ms. Monica Singh, Managing Director & Founder, G.M.L. Group Co. Ltd.; Mr. Alireza Kolahi, Director, Abhar Cable Company; Mr. Md. Siddiq Rahman, Vice President, FBCCI; Chairman, Sterling Group; Mr. Hussain M. Elius, CEO, PATHAO; and Mr. Amzad Hussain, Director, FBCCI.
(2.a.) Mr. Lal Shrestha elaborated on the entrepreneurship development model of the Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum (NYEF) and the NYEF Acceleration Program which aims to reshape the entrepreneurship ecosystem by connecting all the stakeholders (entrepreneurs and investors), and shared his perspectives on how to promote entrepreneurship in the future.
(2.b.) Ms. Singh shared her experience in setting up her business, the challenges she faced, and how she overcame them. She also made a comparison between traditional and modern entrepreneurs, and how entrepreneurs are able to support productive, innovative and fast-growing businesses.
(2.c.) Mr. Kolahi traced the history of his business, shared his thoughts on family-owned companies, on what he defines as entrepreneurial businesses, and the organizational life cycle and stages of development of business.
Mr. George Abraham, Chairmanof CACCI SME Development Council and Chairman and Managing Director of GA Group Pte. – who was moderated of the breakout session on “Promoting SME Development” informed the Council that the breakout session had four speakers including himself. The other three speakers included Mr. Osama Taseer, President, Dhaka CCI; Mr. Sean Mahoney, Chair, International Business Council, Chamber of Commerce Northern Territory; and Mr. Md. Safiqul Islam, Managing Director, SME Foundation.
(3.a.) Mr. Abraham made a presentation n Enterprise Singapore and what it does to support the growth of start-ups in Singapore and in their efforts in shaping industries and creating their own markets.
(3.b) Md. Safiqui Islam shared information on the SME sector of Bangladesh and its contribution to the country’s economy, how Bangladesh promotes the development of the SMEs, the challenges of SME development in the country, the role of the private sector in SME development, SME’s contribution to women empowerment in Bangladesh, and prospects for further growth of SMEs in the country.
(3.c) Mr. Sean Mahoney elaborates on the activities undertaken by the Chamber of Commerce Northern Territory to help promote the growth and development of SMEs in Darwin, mainly through business events, policy advocacy, trade missions, export and industry awards, vocational education, and specific projects.
Ms. Barbara Langley, Director of the CIPE Centre for Women’s Economic Empowerment and who chaired the breakout session on “Overcoming the Digital Gender Divide”, reported that the session featured speakers who shared best practice and successful country examples and initiatives in bringing women into the digital economy. Areas of discussion included: (a) Opportunities for digitally-driven growth that empower women and the barriers they still face (e.g. access to infrastructure, capital, technology, and to regional and global markets); (b) Best practices and successful country examples in bringing women into the digital economy; and (c) Potential synergies with existing regional initiatives.
The session speakers included Honorable Selima Ahmad, Parliamentarian, President of Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Mr. Mangesh Lal Shrestha, Global Vice President of Growth,Frost & Sullivan and Former President, Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum; Ms. Frei Sangil, Chief Executive Officer, Layertech, and Mr. M. A. Kashem, Former President, FBCCI; Chairman and Managing Director, Rose Corner (Pvt) Ltd. & J. K. Group
