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Their
interests range from setting up academies for rural women to
hospitals- from hotels to industrial parks.
'We
want to serve our country, our people. That's why we are here,' said
Wali Tasar Uddin, chair of the Bangladesh British Chamber of Commerce
that brought a delegation for interactions with local businesspeople
and government officials.
The
delegation, which also included representatives from Commonwealth
Business Council, had extensive discussions with trade bodies and
government leaders to convey their intensions and get the pulse of
potential local partners and the government as well.
The
delegation members told the meetings that they want to break the
common belief that the British Bangladeshis, prominently from Sylhet
region, love to spend money on houses and shops in their home towns
and villages.
They
also want to look beyond curry business that brought them money and
fame, and now explore the areas like IT.
Several
executives from the BoB network, which groups young Bangladeshi
professionals based in UK, were also included in the delegation.
'We
want our offspring to get involved directly in the country's affairs.
We want to portray a positive Bangladesh to them,' Wali said.
The
Western-educated young Bangladeshi talents seek ventures in sectors
like business management and information technology. They are also
interested in capital market.
During
their stay here, the delegation visited Sylhet to select site for an
industrial park they are planning to set up in cooperation with
Sylhet chamber. 'We are considering three possible sites near the town.'
A
medical college for women and a modern hospital, funded by a group of
non-resident Bangladeshis, are in progress in Sylhet. About Tk 130
crore has been earmarked for the project.
'We
hope to start enrolment in the medical college in two months. The
hospital may get ready for services in a year,' Wali said.
Still
concentrated largely on Sylhet, 'Londonis' have now started looking
beyond their home district, though in a limited scale. They are
exploring the hospitality sector. Some of them grouped in a 10
million pound joint venture with international hotel chain, Hyatt
Regency, to build a 600-room hotel on the Airport Road.
Some of
them also ventured on hotel management institutes to develop skilled
manpower for hospitality and catering sectors for home and abroad.
'We now
discourage real estate business. Instead, we are trying to explore
areas that create jobs,' Wali said, explaining their present and
future focuses.
They
also want to invest in the country's capital market to mobilise funds
for their ventures at home.
The
Bangladesh Business Show 2005 helped develop stronger ties between
businesses in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. Claiming the first
ever such venture of the Bangladesh-British chamber a great success,
Wali said the show would help further promote Bangladeshi business
brands in UK.
About
prospects of export of fresh vegetables and spices from Bangladesh to
cater to the demand of the restaurants owned by Bangladeshis, he
said, 'Market is there, but you have to ensure bulk supply
maintaining British standards.'
Bangladeshi restaurants use spices from Pakistan, India and some
other countries, which supply products of far better quality than
Bangladeshi ones. 'The products targeting Karwanbazar won't fit
London market,' he said.
To
promote export of Bangladeshi fresh vegetables and fruits, the
chamber is planning to charter a cargo plane. 'But then, there must
be an ensured and uninterrupted supply,' Wali stressed.
He
described the visit of the delegation this time as successful and
expressed his satisfaction over the talks at various forums.
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