CED and BGMEA Jointly Organized Regional Convening of Mapped in Bangladesh Project for the Garments Entrepreneurs in Chattogram.
On 26 October 2019, a regional convening of the project ‘Mapped in Bangladesh’ was held at the BGMEA Building in South Khulshi of Chattogram. The event was jointly organized by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED), BRAC University.
The convening was organized as a part of the project ‘Mapped in Bangladesh’ (Formerly Known as Digital RMG Factory Mapping in Bangladesh or DRFM-B). Having the objective to unearth all the export-oriented RMG Factories in Bangladesh with basic factory information in an interactive digital map [www.mappedinbangladesh.org] for the RMG industry stakeholders and thus to contribute for the transparency and accountability of the RMG sector of Bangladesh, the project is expected to be completed within 2021.
The regional convening was organized for the entrepreneurs of the garments sector in Chattogram in order to introduce them the project ‘Mapped in Bangladesh’, to show them the interactive mapping platform where the project is publishing factory information and to make them aware that the project is now collecting information from the export-oriented factories in Chattogram.
C&A Foundation is the lead funding agency of the project while BGMEA and BKMEA are the strategic partners of the project. The project has also succeeded to receive strategic support from the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) of Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The event was presided by Professor Dr. Rahim B. Talukdar, Adviser, CED, BRACU. In his introductory speech, he mentioned what types of information are the part of the digital mapping platform that the ‘Mapped in Bangladesh’ project has developed for all the stakeholders of the garments sector of Bangladesh.
Mr. Syed Hasibuddin Hussain, Project Manager, Mapped in Bangladesh, demonstrated the digital map to the audience and explained that the Field Officers of BRAC University has been walking street to street for collecting the factory information. He requested the factory administration in Chattogram to help the field officers when they will approach the export oriented garments factories in Chattogram to conduct the surveys.
Mr. Mohammad Abdus Salam, First Vice President, BGMEA, was the chief guest and Mr. Mirza Md. Akbar Ali Chowdhury was the special guest of the event. In his remarks, Mr. Mohammad Abdus Salam urged for more research initiatives for garments sector of Bangladesh. Revisiting the achievements of Bangladesh garments sector from its inception in Chattogram to the recent compliance scenario in terms of the activities of Accord and Alliance, he commented that, everyone should follow BRAC to initiate projects like Mapped in Bangladesh so that the whole world would know about the garments sector of Bangladesh.
Over 200 garment entrepreneurs, factory administrative personnel and local journalists of Chattogram attended the convening.