Luxembourg Minister for Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Affairs in a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen on 12 June 2019 in Dhaka.
Bangladesh, Luxembourg businesses explore possible convergence in sectors of common interest
This was “precisely” the main purpose of the second meeting of the recently concluded Luxembourg Business Council in Bangladesh (LBCB) in Dhaka, Honorary Consul of Luxembourg and Convener of the Council Nasreen Zamir told bdnews24.com.
The two countries despite decades-old diplomatic relations gave a fresh look to the relations only in 2O16 when Luxembourg appointed Nasreen Zamir, a leading Bangladeshi designer, as its Honorary Consul in Dhaka.
She said they have also decided to conduct this year a joint visit of LBCB members to Luxembourg “in order further sensitise Bangladeshi companies on opportunities in Luxembourg and develop Luxembourg business awareness on Bangladesh.”
“LBCB is still a new creature, less than one year old, and we, therefore, go from surprise to surprise,” she said, adding that not everyone knows that Luxembourg was the first European country to become a member of the Beijing-based Asia Infrastructures Development Bank (AIIB).
“It is a clear indication of Luxembourg’s appetite to increase its economic footprint in Asia. Why not also in Bangladesh?”
Financial sector collaboration, particularly in banking, is a major area that Dhaka is looking to explore with Luxembourg.
Discussing the meeting with bdnews24com, she said Luxembourg may look very distant, but in fact, they have more in common than many imagine.
“And if you consider business opportunities then there are several areas that deserve proper consideration,” she said.
The meeting’s objective was notably served by the active participation of two Luxembourg-based companies which are new members of the LBCB — SES which is the world leader in telecom satellite services and has a regional office in Singapore and Jan De Nul, with a regional platform in New Delhi, which is quite prominent on the international scene in the field of logistics.
“If you have in mind that our country is about to launch its first ever telecom satellite, Bangabandhu-1 and that Bangladesh needs to overcome a number of logistics bottlenecks to further develop its exports, you can easily assume that our session was forward-looking.”
She said it was an “eye-opener” for the Bangladeshi companies who have attended the meeting.
“Compared to some other European Countries which are quite familiar to us, Luxembourg is still, seen from Dhaka, a well-kept secret,” she said, adding that prominent Bangladeshi firms and local branches of global companies are members of the LBCB.
“Most of them conduct operations not just in the country but regionally and even beyond in such key sectors as finance, garment, digital services, trading, media, pharmaceuticals etc.
“They quickly captured the potential of further exploring possible partnerships with these two companies as well as with other Luxembourg businesses in general.”
“We have to be realistic but ambitious and determined,” she said when asked about the way forward following the meeting.
She also disclosed the decision to conduct a joint visit of LBCB members to Luxembourg this year.
“Judging from the quality of the exchanges we just had, we can be confident that concrete ways of cooperation will be identified,” she said. “They could also include such areas as higher education, a field where Luxembourg excels.”
“This joint visit will also serve this purpose and convince a growing number of Luxembourg-based companies to that have a future in Bangladesh and that the LBCB can help them make it happen,” she said.
“I see it as a win-win game.”
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ROBOT SOFIA
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Digital World 2017, the biggest theme of Information Technology along with artificial robot Sophia. He inaugurated the four-day colorful event at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the afternoon. Said that due to the development of information technology, the industrial revolution that has the opportunity of the country will be utilized by the meritorious youth. According to the election manifesto, the government is working relentlessly to build a Digital Bangladesh, she said.
IT entrepreneur Mustafa Jabbar to be made minister for ICT!
IT entrepreneur Mustafa Jabbar is called into Bangabhaban. Speculations run high that he has been asked to be prepared to swear in as a technocrat minister for the ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology.
The ministry is now held by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself.
Taran Halim and Zunaid Ahmed Palak are now serving as the State Ministers for the Department of Post and Telecommunication and Information and Communication Technology respectively.
Jabbar, the president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services or BASIS, will be made a technocrat minister as he is not a lawmaker.
DIGITAL WORLD-2017
“Digital Bangladesh”- this slogan carries a great significance for the Govt. of Bangladesh in order to ensure the development of Bangladesh through digitalization. As a part of this continuous process “Digital World-2017” a mega ICT event is going to take place at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), Agargaon, Dhaka. This concurrent mega event will be started on December 06, 2017 with the slogan “Ready for Tomorrow”. The event will be attended by around 400 exhibitors from Bangladesh and abroad including policy makers, senior government officials & ministers, industry leaders, civil society spokespersons, investors and multinational software vendor.
To visit click here
ICT SECTOR
To give more thrust to ICT sector the Division has upgraded as Ministry of Information & Communication Technology on 04/12/2011. The change is the evidence of understanding of the importance of ICT from the highest policy level and also an indication that the government is keen to keep pace with modern changing world. After that on 10/02/2014 Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and Ministry of ICT are integrated to Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology. From 10/02/2014 Ministry of ICT starts as an ICT Division. The change has brought new life to the activities of Information & Communication Technology Division.To visit click here
ICT EXPO 2017
The mammoth ‘Bangladesh ICT EXPO 2017’ event has been arranged at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC), Dhaka during October 18 – 20, 2017 with the theme of ‘Make in Bangladesh’. This EXPO is a unique platform to showcase the immense potentiality of Bangladesh ICT industry, especially in the manufacturing segment of computer & ICT products and services. The showcase is popularly recognized as the largest exhibition of ICT products, services, innovation and country’s information technology infrastructure with manufacturing opportunity and digital lifestyles in Bangladesh. To know more details please click here
Bangabandhu satellite to go commercial in June next year says Tarana
The commercial operation of Bangabandhu satellite will start in June next year after the launch in December this year, State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim has said.
She spoke at a press conference on the progress of the launch at the secretariat on Monday.
“We are certain that the launch will take place in the first or last week of December. It will be able to start the commercial operation in June 2018,” she said.
She said in case of any problem the launch might be deferred to January. “There will be no problem if the weather remains calm in Florida in the US in December.”
The satellite will have 40 transponders. Bangladesh will use 20 of those for its own and the rest will be rented. The government hopes to save $14 million annually on rent the country is now paying to foreign satellites.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants to share the joy of sending Bangladesh’s first satellite into space with people through video conferencing from her residence, the Ganabhaban, Tarana said.
The final countdown will begin in Bangladesh a week before the launch which will be broadcast live, she said.
The December schedule for the launch using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was announced earlier.
State Minister Tarana recently visited the facility of Franco-Italian aerospace manufacturer Thales Alenia Space in France where the satellite is being built.
Tarana said some tests on initial performance, vacuum, final performance, and final preparation would be conducted before the launch.
“They (Thales Alenia Space) said it would be possible to finish the end-to-end test in the first week of December,” she added. (Source from bdnews24.com).
Launch of Bangabandhu-1 satellite deferred to March
BTRC Chairman Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood said bad weather and scheduling problems were the root causes of the delay.
Bangladesh’s first satellite, Bangabandhu-1, will be launched into orbit in March next year, two months after it was originally scheduled to be deployed.
Confirming the news to reporters, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood said: “Manufacture of the satellite has been completed. Now we are waiting for a schedule to launch it into orbit.”
The regulatory body chief also visited the manufacturer, Thales Alenia Space, in France. The satellite will be transported to Florida’s Cape Canaveral for launch.
“A precise date has not been fixed yet, but the launch is probably in March,” the BTRC chairman added.