The three-day Dhaka Apparel Summit begins today (Sunday) with the hope that the platform will help Bangladesh recover its image tarnished over poor workplace and safety conditions in the country's $24 billion garment industry.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is organising the first-ever summit titled 'Bangladesh RMG 2021: $50 Billion on the 50th Anniversary of Bangladesh,' at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the summit.
"Branding Bangladesh is one of the main priorities to achieve the $50 billion export earning target by 2021 and the summit is an umbrella to open dialogue for framing a sustainable roadmap in this regad," Md Atiqul Islam, president of the BGMEA said at a press briefing held at its headquarters in the city Saturday.
The summit will also help the industry people identify the challenges and their way forward towards the $50 billion export target by 2021, he said adding: "We are trying to come out of the negative image that exists at the global stage now."
The global demand for apparel products is worth $450 billion, which is expected to reach $650 billion by 2021. To achieve the $50 billion apparel export earning target, Bangladesh needs to increase its share to 8.0 per cent from the existing 5.0 per cent.
"A large number of foreign guests have already arrived to take part in the summit and more than 2,000 people have got registration to participate in the seminars," the BGMEA president added.
Two more events titled 'Bangladesh Building and Fire Safety Expo, 2014' and 'Best Factory Award, 2014' will also be held on the sidelines of the summit where participants would show safety equipment and demonstrate several drills to raise awareness among the RMG factory owners, organisers said.
Some 60 firms on fire and electrical safety and experts, both local and international, will attend the Expo and 92 stalls will showcase world-standard safety-related equipment.
The entrepreneurs will be benefited from the summit enriching their knowledge about latest apparel technologies and this will also help domestic apparel makers build a bridge with the global buyers and experts.
A research centre 'Centre of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry' (CEBAI) will also be launched today (Sunday) aiming to increase productivity and generate skilled manpower.
The summit will feature a number of panel sessions to be participated by representatives of the governments of home and partner countries, private sectors, international organisations, employers, workers' representatives, civil society organisations, brand representatives, academics and media.
The summit will discuss the present business and investment trend, global sourcing dynamics and potential for Bangladesh, priority issues to support the growth potential, compliance issues, supportive policies and coordination between different government agencies, product and market diversification, according to the organisers.
The summit will also discuss how important physical infrastructure, power, gas and energy are to secure the Vision 2021 set for Bangladesh. The discussions will focus on devising a strategic action plan to overcome the existing challenges and tap the potential.
Part of the discussion will also focus on remediation financing for transforming the garment industry, reinventing the apparel model for responsible sourcing and productivity enhancement and environmental sustainability .
munni_fe@yahoo.com
