Mr. Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Daffodil International University (DIU) & Daffodil Group along with other distinguished guests at the ‘World Export Development Forum (WEDF)’ held at Colombo in Sri Lanka on 12-13 October 2016
Mr. Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Daffodil International University (DIU) & Daffodil Group represented Bangladesh at the 2-days grand event ‘World Export Development Forum (WEDF)’ held on 12-13 October at Colombo in Sri Lanka with representation of many policy makers, trade experts, trade analysts and business leaders from across the world with a view to expediting export, business and partnership opportunities. Among others, His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, Honorable President of Sri Lanka graced the event with his kind presence along with his key ministers. Arancha González, Executive Director (ED), International Trade Centre (ITC) was also present, among others.
During the Plenary session held on the second day of WEDF titled ‘Digital Doors to Trade’, Mr. Md. Sabur Khan, in his vibrant presentation, focused on digitization initiatives in his organization as a case study on Bangladesh perspective. He overviewed on: the digital dimension in developing countries; e-commerce; how training is helping to rapidly bridge the digital divide; how online platforms can help manage logistics in the supply chain; how its policies help businesses get online, manage international payments, deliver across borders and support after-sales delivery; e-solutions and SMEs and how these overcome barriers, etc.
Moderated by Ms. Xin Liu, Correspondent Europe, CCTV, Switzerland, the session was also addressed by Mr. Gao Hongbing, Vice President and Director, Alibaba Group and AliResearch; Ms. Shinto Sugroho, Head of Public Policy and Government Relations, Google Inc.; Mr. Eben Sermon, Vice President, eBay Greater Europe, Middle East and Africa; Mr. Mano Sekaram, CEO, Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies; Mr. Kurt Cavano, Founder, GT Nexus; and Ms. Sally Buberman, CEO, Wormhole IT.
Initiated in 1999, the World Export Development Forum (WEDF) is a unique global conference and business-to-business (B2B) matchmaking platform dedicated to supporting trade-led development. As the flagship event of the International Trade Centre (ITC), WEDF brought together over 600 business leaders, policymakers, heads of trade and investment support institutions and international trade development officials to address international competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The 16th edition of WEDF is co-hosted by ITC and the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade of Sri Lanka, through the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB). ITC is the only United Nations organization focusing exclusively on SMEs, which are now recognized as a cornerstone for development by the United Nations as well as by the G7 and the G20. ITC helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grow and compete internationally, building on business opportunities.
