Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the World Trade Centre (WTC) in Chittagong on January 30 during the CCCI’s five-day centenary programmes starting from January 28.
Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has completed all preparations for successfully celebrating its hundredth anniversary with the opening of the WTC.
Mahbubul Alam, president of the CCCI told the Dhaka Tribune that they had already completed all preparation for successfully holding the inaugural ceremony of the WTC along with celebrating the 100th anniversary programme of the chamber.
“The first-ever WTC of the country will surely help to emerge Chittagong as the commercial capital in a true sense. The WTC will also house a permanent and a temporary display or exhibition centre where products of local enterprises and business houses will be showcased. Besides, we will be able to woo the foreign investors since two special economic zones are going to be set up in Anwara in Mirsarai upazilas in Chittagong,” added the CCCI president.
The WTC is not merely a building or an organisation. The centre will bring together business and government agencies involved in international trade.
Moreover, it will provide essential trade services and boost up the trade and commerce of any region it serves.
“The centre works as a single combining factor which puts all the services associated with global commerce under one roof,” said Alam who is also vice-president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
Referring to the centenary ceremony of the CCCI, Mahfuzul Hoque Shah, director of the CCCI said: “To celebrate the centenary ceremony in a befitting manner, we have also chalked out a five-day long programme. We will organise a spectacular road-show on January 28 depicting the heritage and history of the port city.”
“A youth conference with the participation of young entrepreneurs and a business seminar will be held on January 31. Besides, an international tourism summit will be held in Rangamati district on February 1,” he also said.
“We have already invited representatives of global and local business conglomerates. Delegates from many countries including Thailand, Nepal, India, Japan and Australia will remain present at the grand ceremony. Besides, representative from World Trade Centres Association will also grace the inaugural event,” added the CCCI director.
It may be mentioned that the CCCI constructed the 21-storey World Trade Centre including three basements on 75 kathas of land in Agrabad Commercial Area at a cost of Tk 200 crore.
The construction work on the project began in May 2006. Built with state of the art technologies, the WTC will house a five star hotel with 240 rooms, two swimming pools, roof-top helipad, three-storey basement with parking lot for 400 vehicles, an international-standard convention centre, one modern IT centre.
The CCCI has already joined New York-based WTC and obtained its membership.
As per the constitution and bylaws of World Trade Centres Association (WTCA), ‘World Trade Centre’ is defined as one or more buildings or structures, of whatever type, kind, nature or design, providing for the centralised accommodation of both activities and services devoted to world trade and international commerce, the promotion, furthering and protection of such trade and commerce, or similar services related to the foregoing.
The age-old apex body of Chittagong business community started its journey in 1906 under the protection of the British businessmen. It was JL Brown who was the first president of the CCCI. There was no Bengali president till 1956. Shabbir Ahmed became the first Bengali president of the CCCI in 1957. Mahbubul Alam is the incumbent president is the 59th president of the trade organisation.