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A business delegation representing nine British firms has begun a four-day visit to Bangladesh with the aim of sourcing products from women-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The team members will meet 80 entrepreneurs in Dhaka and Chattogram who manufacture clothing, home décor, agricultural items, and jute products, during their visit from September 22 to 25.
The initiative is being jointly facilitated by the SME Foundation (SMEF), International Trade Center (ITC), SheTrades Bangladesh Hub, and the Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
An inaugural ceremony was held at a city hotel on Monday to formally launch the visit, says a SMEF press release.
SME Foundation Chairperson Md Mushfiqur Rahman, Managing Director Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, Deputy Managing Director Farzana Khan, and Martin Dawson, Deputy Development Director of the British High Commission in Dhaka, spoke at the event.
In his remarks, Mushfiqur Rahman noted that many women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh still rely on informal export channels such as sending goods via luggage or middlemen, while some export through formal channels.
Against this backdrop, this initiative can play a vital role in increasing the formal export capacity of women entrepreneurs, he said, adding that the SME Foundation would extend full support to ITC SheTrades initiatives aimed at building the connections with foreign buyers.
British High Commission official Martin Dawson said that by connecting British buyers with women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, the UK is strengthening the two countries' trading partnership and investing in an inclusive and prosperous future.
As part of the four-day programme, two workshops will also be held focusing on government procurement policies for women entrepreneurs.
According to official figures, Bangladeshi exports to the UK totalled $3.4 billion during the June-March period of the 2024-25 fiscal year -- an increase of 5.5 per cent, or approximately $180 million, over the same period in the previous year.
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