The Nigeria Secretary General, Developing Eight Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8) Ambassador Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, has reiterated the need for materialization of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement to harness the immense economic potential for promoting trade among the member states.
Ambassor Imam made the called during his maiden visit to Bangladesh, to meet with the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon’rable Sheikh Hasina, at the Ganobhaban State House in Dhaka.
Briefing the Prime Minister who is also currently chair of D-8 on the activities and initiatives of the Organisation highlightes the new projects and initiatives to be undertaken by D-8.
According to him, some of the initiatives include, the D- Payment Card system, the D-8 International University at Hamedan, Iran, D-8 Network of Pioneers Research Institute in Pakistan, D-8 Health and Social Protection Prorgamme in Abuja, Nigeria and the D8 Agriculture Research Centre in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
He pointed out that the Visa Agreement and the D-8 Designated Airports initiatives is aimed at making traveling easy for business people from the member countries.
He expressed his resolve to further promote the visibility of the organization through enhancing project-based cooperation among Member States, so that the benefits of such cooperation would reach the grassroots level.
On the forthcoming silver jubilee celebration of the founding of D-8 organization, Ambassador Imam used the opportunity to invite the Prime Minister to share a special message during the 25th Anniversary coming up in June this year.
The parties further underscored the urgent need for the Member States of D-8 to enhance economic cooperation to enable the organization realize its full potential. They also agreed to promote joint training programs
While receiving the Secretary General, Prime Minister Hasina, congratulated Ambassador Imam on assumption of Office as D-8 Secretary General, while hoping that his leadership would add further dynamism in introducing new ideas for innovative partnership among D-8 Member States.
Hasina said that the D-8 Member States have the potential of emerging as a powerful economic block, adding that her country being a founding member of D-8 organization would desire further cooperation in the six key priority areas of D-8 namely trade, agriculture, economy, tourism, transport and energy towards enhancing the socio-economic development of Member Countries.
She expressed the readiness of her government to make available to Member States exclusive facilities and land in Bangladesh’s ‘Special Economic Zones’ and invited Member States to latch on this opportunity to further enhance economic cooperation.
Sheikh Hasina apprised the visiting Secretary General of the success her country had achieved in the agricultural sector, saying that their researchers have developed the drought and saline–tolerant variants of rice and that Bangladesh can share its experiences with D-8 countries in the agricultural sector.
She added that Bangladesh has also achieved tremendous feat in digital transformation and was prepared to share her experience with the Member States to enhance cooperation in the field of ICT, stating that her government was prepared to provide one of its ICT Parks to the D-8 Organization to enhance cooperation in ICT.