Lecture on "Bangladesh-Japan Development Cooperation for Enhanced Connectivity" on 21 March 2019

The Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, organised a lecture titled "Bangladesh–Japan Development Cooperation for Enhanced Connectivity" on 21 March 2019 at the BIISS Auditorium.

The lecture featured Professor Naohiro Kitano, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University and Visiting Fellow, JICA Research Institute, as the Guest Speaker. The programme brought together senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, policymakers, academics, researchers, military officials, representatives of development organisations, think tanks, media, and students to discuss the evolving partnership between Bangladesh and Japan, with particular emphasis on development cooperation and regional connectivity.

In his lecture, Professor Naohiro Kitano highlighted the longstanding friendship between Bangladesh and Japan, describing Japan as one of Bangladesh's most trusted development partners. He reviewed the evolution of bilateral development cooperation over the decades and underscored Japan's significant contributions to Bangladesh's socio-economic transformation through Official Development Assistance (ODA), infrastructure development, human resource development, and technology transfer.

The Guest Speaker emphasised that enhanced connectivity is fundamental to achieving sustainable economic growth and regional integration. He discussed Japan's support for major infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, including transport networks, ports, energy, urban development, and industrial infrastructure, which are expected to improve domestic and regional connectivity, facilitate trade and investment, and strengthen Bangladesh's role as a regional economic hub.

The lecture also highlighted the importance of the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) Initiative and other connectivity-oriented development programmes in fostering inclusive economic development. The speaker stressed that improved physical, economic, and institutional connectivity would create new opportunities for trade, investment, industrialisation, logistics, and people-to-people exchanges, thereby contributing to prosperity across the region.

Participants also discussed prospects for expanding Bangladesh–Japan cooperation in areas such as smart infrastructure, digital transformation, innovation, disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, renewable energy, higher education, and capacity building. The discussion underscored the importance of strengthening public-private partnerships and promoting sustainable, high-quality infrastructure development aligned with Bangladesh's long-term development aspirations.

The programme concluded with an interactive discussion session during which participants exchanged valuable questions, comments, suggestions, and observations on the future of Bangladesh–Japan development cooperation. The event reaffirmed the shared commitment of Bangladesh and Japan to deepening their strategic partnership through enhanced connectivity, sustainable infrastructure development, economic cooperation, and regional integration.