ABBF to strengthen Bangladesh-Australia trade and education cooperation in Sydney

The Australia-Bangladesh Business Forum (ABBF) has organized a networking dinner in Sydney to expand trade, higher education, investment and bilateral partnerships between Australia and Bangladesh. The event was held on Monday evening, 26 October at the traditional Cafe Sydney on Circular Quay, Sydney.

The event was part of a visit by a delegation from the Bangladeshi higher education sector to Australia and aimed to strengthen business and institutional ties with officials from the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade). The event discussed new opportunities for education, trade and investment between the two countries.

Present on behalf of Austrade at the event were VK Singh, Head of Southeast Asia, LD Jarnet, Head of International Education, Mostafizur Rahman, Senior Director in charge of Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, and Sandy, Austrade's representative in Sri Lanka.

The Bangladesh delegation included Ishtiaq Abedin, founder and board of trustees member of American International University Bangladesh, Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, founder and chairman of Daffodil International University, Manas Kumar Singh, founder and board of trustees member of Universal College Bangladesh, and Provost Mohammad Ismail Hossain.

Apart from this, Mohammad Shamsul Alam, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology, Ariful Bari Majumder, Senior Vice Chairman of UCSI University Bangladesh Branch Campus, and Tanvir Shahed, Head of International Student Admissions Department of Macquarie University, also participated in the program.

The members of the ABBF Executive Board were Dr. Ayaz Chowdhury, Alamgir Islam, Hossain Kabir, Mostafizur Rahman Mithu, Mozammel Hossain Babu, Naeem Abdullah, Mahfuzul Haque Chowdhury, Mohammad Zaman Titu and Md. Kamruzzaman Bappi.

The event, moderated by ABBF General Secretary Brian Lawle, was attended by the organization's President Abdul Khan Ratan, who welcomed the Bangladeshi higher education sector delegation and Austrade officials.

In his speech, Abdul Khan Ratan said that it is the need of the hour to transform the existing good relationship between Australia and Bangladesh into an effective economic and educational partnership. Increased direct contact between businessmen, educational institutions and related organizations of the two countries will create new opportunities for investment, trade and educational cooperation.

The discussions focused on leveraging Australia's experience and expertise in Bangladesh's higher education sector, building partnerships between universities in the two countries, expanding international education opportunities, and strengthening business ties. They also exchanged views on how to contribute to the economic development of the two countries by increasing coordination between education and trade.

VK Singh, Head of Southeast Asia, Austrade, thanked ABBF President Abdul Khan Ratan and the Executive Board members for hosting the networking dinner. He appreciated ABBF's ongoing collaboration with Austrade and emphasized the importance of continuing mutual communication and joint initiatives in the future.

According to the organizers, such networking events not only increase mutual communication but also pave the way for future practical collaborations, institutional partnerships, and new business ventures.

The event expressed its commitment to further strengthen business and educational ties between Australia and Bangladesh. ABBF reiterated its commitment to continue working to increase communication and cooperation between business people, investors, educational institutions, and public and private organizations of the two countries.

The organization works to increase business, trade, investment and institutional cooperation between Australia and Bangladesh. Those concerned hope that such initiatives will play a positive role in developing long-term relations between the two countries and creating new opportunities.