DHAKA, Nov 22, 2021 (BSS) - Women Entrepreneurs Network for Development 
Association (WEND), an association of Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs, plans 
to establish a regional office in Dubai to help its members gain market 
access to the Middle East's $3 trillion economies. 

   Its members have also started the process of setting up their companies in 
the UAE to benefit from the growing opportunities in the Middle East. The 
WEND is participating in the six-month-long World Expo 2020 that is being 
held in Dubai from October 1, 2021, till March 31, 2022. 

   More than 576,000 women entrepreneurs represent 7.2 per cent of the 8 
million business establishments in Bangladesh. They are a major contributor 
to Bangladesh economy. Women form the majority workforce in the country's 
readymade garments industry that fetches $31.45 billion a year, , said a 
press release. 

  The release said a 15-member delegation of women entrepreneurs from WEND, 
led by President Dr. Nadia Binte Amin, is currently visiting Dubai, to attend 
the World Expo 2020, from November 19 to 25, 2021. The delegation was invited 
to the expo by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). 

   The regional office will explore market opportunities in each of the 
target segments, help develop a database of potential clientele and initiate 
match-making networking and buyer-seller meetings so that Bangladeshi women 
entrepreneurs can acquire new customers, develop new markets in the Middle 
East and North Africa (MENA) countries and start exporting products to the 
region. 

   "We have received good response from the UAE - a regional economic hub for 
the Middle East, Africa and Central Asian countries - and a regional office 
here could help us gain market access for our members," said Dr. Nadia. 

   "There is a good demand for organic, natural and environment-friendly 
products - where our members excel. We will soon initiate the process of 
establishing our regional office in Dubai and deploy a marketing professional 
to explore opportunities in the Middle East and curate buyer-seller and 
match-making events for our exporters," she added. 

   The UAE is host to more than 1 million Bangladeshi expatriates, 
representing more than 11 per cent of the UAE's population, which includes 
businessmen, professionals, skilled, semi-skilled workers, who collectively 
remit more than $2.5 billion remittances to Bangladesh economy. 

   Bangladeshi expatriates own more than 75,000 businesses in the UAE and 
employ more than 200,000 Bangladeshis in the UAE. Bangladeshi Tangail Saree, 
Jamdani Saree and Cotton Benarasi sarees have great demand among Indian, 
Pakistani and other nationals while Bangladeshi handicrafts and leather 
products have a strong demand in the Middle Eastern market. "Due to the high 
demand and lack of regular supply, we see a great demand for these products. 
Our members are keen to set up their own wholesale, retail and boutique 
businesses while others are exploring businesses through the e-commerce 
channel," added Dr Nadia. 

   She said most traditional Bangladeshi products are not available in the 
region while the WEND members want to start business operations in the region 
through trading, wholesale and retail operations to penetrate the market 
here. 

   The team hosted consecutive two events focusing the Women Entrepreneurship 
Day which took place on November 19 and 20, 2021. The first event was a 
fashion show displaying the rich diverse cultural heritage of Bangladesh and 
promoting Bangladeshi products by women artisans of WEND in the Bangladesh 
Pavilion located in the Sustainability District. 

   The second event was a seminar on the rich heritage of Bangladesh and the 
journey of women entrepreneurs in different industries such as agro and food 
processing, leather, jute, handicrafts and clothing and potential products 
for the global village of WEND members. 

  Mohammad Abu Zafar, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates, 
attended the sessions as the Chief Guest and BM Jamal Hossain, Consul General 
of Bangladesh in Dubai and the Northern Emirates attended as the Special 
Guest. 

   Deputy Secretary of Ministry of Commerce Syeda Nahida Habiba and Tania 
Hossain, Commercial Counsellor, Kamrul Hasan, Farid Uddin, Deputy Director, 
EPB and other official dignitaries and visitors were also present.