‘BD needs innovation capacity to face global competitiveness’

Prof Nawaz Sharif, a world renowned personality in the study of technological innovation in industries, observed that the country's private sector should take up the task of building the innovation capacity to face global competitiveness in the coming days, reports UNB.
Speaking at a roundtable conference titled 'Imperatives for Globalisation of Bangladesh Industries', organised by Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM) on its campus Thursday, Prof Nawaz Sharif said he believes that Bangladesh's industrial enterprises can pursue global market competitiveness as a continuous and ongoing process through gradual as well as disruptive innovations, which collectively enable sustainable growth.
He also noted that Bangladesh needs to have an increasing number of its own global enterprises if it aspires to be a prosperous country.
A firm believer that 'globalisation is the DNA of humankind, and Bangladesh shares the same attribute', Prof Nawaz Sharif said, "Cultivating technological innovation is indeed imperative for the globalisation of our industries."
Prof Sharif was talking to an audience that comprised some leading entrepreneurs and management officials and technology experts involved in industrial sectors.
"As modern start-up, enterprises in the new areas of mobile, digital and intelligence technologies require much less expenditure and time in physical infrastructure building," he said.
It is the human resource that needs to be focused on ensuring prosperity, Prof Sharif added.
Speaking on the occasion, Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF) president Tapan Chowdhury observed that there are talents in the country, but the talent pool is continuously moving abroad due to the lack of proper environment in the local industries.  Speaking as the chair at the roundtable conference, additional secretary of the ministry of industries Farhad Uddin stressed the need for ensuring the quality research and higher education to facilitate the country's industrial development.
The roundtable conference was also attended by BIM director general Khandakar Rakibur Rahman and former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury.
In November last year, BIM hosted Prof Nawaz as the instructor of a ten-day workshop on technological innovation.
Currently, Nawaz Sharif is working as the principal consultant in a knowledge-based enterprise in the USA. He also teaches in a number of universities as Adjunct Professor in the USA and Asian countries. Since 1976, he has been engaged as a consultant in science and technology-related projects sponsored by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, UNDP, UNIDO and Unesco. He has also been conducting seminars and workshops in many countries.