Organised by YOUNG and Entrepreneurship & Skill Development Project (ESDP), in association with Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), the two-day 4th National Young Entrepreneurs' Summit 2020 commenced today.

In the opening ceremony, Salman F Rahman, Private Sector Industry and Investment Adviser to Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present as the chief guest, while Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Honourable State Minister, ICT Division and Md Zahid Ahsan Russel, Honourable State Minister, Ministry of Youth & Sports, were present as the special guests. The ceremony was hosted by Farha Trina, Vice Chairman of Investment Committee at the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), with Md Sirazul Islam, Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), as the programme chair.

"People of Bangladesh have an entrepreneurial spirit, which wasn't nurtured before. Now, in this age of digitalisation, we should nurture this spirit and move forward," shared Salman F Rahman. "Along with developing other essential skills, young professionals should concentrate more on communication and language skills."

Muslim Uddin Bappy, Founder & CEO, YOUNG and AKM Hafizullah Khan, Project Director, ESDP, BIDA, inaugurated the ceremony with their welcome speeches.

Keynote speaker Shameem Ahsan, Chairman, Venture Capital & Private Equity Association of Bangladesh (VCPEAB) and Chairman, eGeneration Group, shared his thoughts through a presentation on 'Digital Entrepreneurs: Shaping Digital Economy & Employment'.  

Liza Akter Hossain, Co-founder, Brandylane360 Ltd, Md Golam Gaus Sarker, Managing Partner, Krishokponno Enterprise, Ibrahim Khalil, Proprietor, Craftvision and Zia Ashraf, Founder & CEO of Chaldal.com among other young entrepreneurs shared their personal experiences and anecdotes.   

Honourable Guest Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Chairman, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, Tina Jabeen, Managing Director, Startup Bangladesh Limited, Mominul Islam, Managing Director and CEO, IPDC Finance Limited, Sahab Uddin Shipon, Vice President, e-CAB, Adviser, YOUNG and Dustagir Sheikh, Managing Director, I-venture Limited, talked about creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs and suggested ways to collaborate with similar organisations.

4,176 Sheikh Russel Digital Labs were established in educational institutions of all districts in the country to speed up the expansion of computer education, quality education, job opportunities, employment skills and development of language competencies among children. The government plans to take other necessary initiatives in the future as well.

"To prepare the youth for the upcoming fourth industrial revolution, our government has taken commendable steps over the years with countless projects across the country," shared Zunaid Ahmed Palak. "We should use the digital facilities to not only prepare young children, but also to train unemployed youths and provide them with the necessary opportunities and resources."

The summit will cover a wide range of panel discussions and workshops, along with storytelling, mentoring and networking sessions for young entrepreneurs. E-Business Scholar is the knowledge partner, Brandylane Digital is the digital partner and The Daily Star and Samakal are the media partners of the event.