Bangladesh-Finland Business Event 2023: Fostering Collaboration and Innovation held

On September 7th, the Bangladesh Finland Business Association (BFCCI) organised its yearly business event in Espoo, Finland, focusing on the theme "Opportunity to explore & expand your business in 2023". The event marked a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts between Bangladesh and Finland, showcasing two important domains: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Sustainable Innovation with a focus on Circular Economy. The highlight of the event was the keynote address delivered by His Excellency Mehdi Hasan, the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Finland and Sweden, who emphasised the importance of collaboration between the two nations in the ICT industry. Bangladesh's pool of skilled IT professionals, combined with Finland's resource needs due to demographic shifts, presented both challenges and opportunities for further cooperation. The event commenced with a warm welcome from Kamrul Ahsan, President of BFCCI, who outlined the association's mission, vision, and values. He emphasised BFCCI's role in strengthening business ties between Bangladesh and Finland, particularly in the dynamic ICT sector. Numerous IT companies (including BJIT, BrianStation 23) from both Bangladesh and Finland showcased their collaborative efforts, demonstrating their capabilities. Noteworthy among 2 of these presentations was the "Smart Village" project, led by Dr Nazmul Siddique from Ulster University, United Kingdom. This innovative project illustrated how IT innovations can improve rural life in Bangladesh, fostering prosperity. In addition to ICT, the event also highlighted the synergy between Bangladesh and Finland in textile circularity. The business update between the countries in apparel and textile sector is highlighted by Anne Ruokamo of Finnish Textile Association followed by the introduction of Finnish innovation in cellulosic fiber domain. BFCCI Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Spinnova PLC, Dr. Shahriare Mahmood has broadened the topic and funnelled down to substantive business or collaboration potentials. Bangladesh is the second largest apparel exporter which naturally uses a lot of raw materials and produces a significant amount of pre-consumer textile waste. Finland has developed technologies to convert the cellulosic textile wastes as well as cellulose pulp to textile fiber. We strongly believe this synergy will lead to some meaningful business opportunities beyond traditional apparel export import.