Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) is a non-profit, non-political organization established in June 2001 with an enlightened aim to encourage and strengthen women’s participation in the private sector as entrepreneurs through promoting a woman friendly business environment. BWCCI is the country’s first women Chamber of Commerce, a trade body exclusively working on women’s economic and social empowerment nationally. It has been registered with the government under the Ministry of Commerce. It is also registered with Joint stock Company of Bangladesh Government. It has also been affiliated as an “A” class chamber with the Federation of the Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the main umbrella organization of the trade bodies in Bangladesh, since 2008. BWCCI is a strong community voice, lobbying for micro and macro women entrepreneurs to improve their social and economic prospects. Since its establishment, BWCCI has been providing support to women entrepreneurs of 64 districts of Bangladesh through policy advocacy, training, market linkages, access to finance, networking, business awareness and capacity building. As a result of its unbroken efforts towards promotion of a gender friendly business environment, private sector development and grassroots women participation in economic sectors, BWCCI has already emerged as advocacy organization with increased acceptance among cross section of people at the national and the international level. In recognition of its contribution, BWCCI has achieved UN consultative status with its Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh are energetic, willing to learn, innovative, hard working, and are willing to take risks. Small amount of assistance is extremely effective for them to graduate from micro to more sustainable small and medium sized entrepreneurs. Recognizing this potential of women entrepreneurs to play a more effective role in private sector development in the country, BWCCI was formed to act as a nucleus to assist, activate, inform, organize, and assimilate Bangladesh’s women entrepreneurs.
BWCCI is committed to being a leader of broad based economic development in Bangladesh for business women & industrialists. Our will is to support the women business community by providing training, management & financial resource, expertise & support networks that enable small businesses to succeed & prosper. We serve all businesses with a special focus on small, micro rural women entrepreneurs.
The members of BWCCI are from the entire range of socio-economic spectrum. Although the members are predominantly engaged in various traditionally women dominated sectors, such as food, beauty, fashion, health products, handicrafts etc., its membership is also increasing among the emerging group of women entrepreneurs in various non-traditional businesses such as IT, media, publication and other services. Starting with only 24 at the time of its inception, BWCCI now has more than 5000 members across the country. The rapid increase in its membership from diversified sectors every year and expansion of its working areas and services across the country may be mentioned here as one of the indicators of its successful and dynamic journey towards its enlightened vision.
