State-run Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has opened a technical training institute in Bangladesh’s northeastern district of Lalmonirhat, a remote border area mostly resided by the underprivileged.
"The technology center built by TİKA will offer training on basic computing, office tools use, web page design and coding to the youths, while textile lessons will be imparted to women," said a TİKA statement Sunday.
Referring to the overwhelming response from the locals, the statement said over 1,000 applications were received, out of which 200 have been selected on merit.
Applauding the initiative, Bangladesh's State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said the courses would help the participants acquire confidence and become self-employed. "Everyone will be taught how to catch fish instead of being fed with one," Palak said while addressing the opening ceremony.
The minister assured his cooperation with TİKA's similar projects in other cities of Bangladesh. "I would ask my ministry to install a high-speed internet connection in the institute," he said, adding that the government would double the budget allocated for the institute.
Citing strong bilateral ties between the two countries, newly appointed Turkish ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan, said: "Turkey and Bangladesh have historical ties (...) and I hope the friendship will further enrich over time."
TİKA Bangladesh Coordinator Ismail Gündoğdu also addressed the ceremony. "This institute is a gift from the people of Turkey to the Bangladeshi nation," he said. Bangladesh’s former Education Minister Motahar Hossain also attended the program along with several other local dignitaries.
The agency, which has been Turkey's flagship international development aid agency since its inception, is known for extending a helping hand to countries on every continent with a diverse array of projects, from vocational training to supporting agriculture, health services and infrastructure. It represents a significant arm of Turkey's multilayered humanitarian foreign policy and showcases the country's solidarity with countries it previously maintained low-profile ties with.