A new trade body, Dhaka Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DWCCI), appeared on the scene yesterday to help women entrepreneurs explore business potential.
This is the third trade body raised particularly for women. There are two more chambers: Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The first president of the nascent trade body Naaz Farhana Ahmed said the mission of such chambers are to build up professional and intellectual teams of women leaders for a progressive Bangladesh, to help us attain economic solvency and freedom from all fears and ignorance.
Raising research centres for women, empowering women professionally, creating job opportunities, helping women to set up their own business, advancement in promoting business, industrial growth and infrastructure development are the objectives of the trade body, she said.
The current total number of members of the body is more than 250, she said. In future the number would be elevated to 10,000, Naaz added.
While inaugurating the chamber as the chief guest Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said women entrepreneurs would be able to exploit their business potentials through accessing the services offered by such a trade body.
He asked the leaders of the association not to confine the membership of the body only in the city’s posh areas like Gulshan, Banani and Dhanmondi, but to expand its membership base in other areas of the city too.
The newly floated chamber should also focus on research activities to look into new and fresh ideas so that the women entrepreneurs can begin establishing innovative businesses, he added.
Defending the latest women development policy the minister said the policy would help cut the discriminations against women.
AK Azad, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said such chambers will be helpful to create employments for the people.
Zhang Xianyi, Chinese ambassador in Bangladesh, was present among others at the ceremony.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
