Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)– Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus on Friday joined hands with SK Dream of Japan, an NGO in Japan, to create a social business on automobile workshop and auto mechanic training centre in Bangladesh with Japanese investment and technology.
The objective of the social business is to create vocational training programs to develop human resources and create job opportunities, especially for the young people in Bangladesh from disadvantaged families.
The joint venture will offer training in the field of auto mechanics at various levels of proficiency, a Yunus Centre press statement said.
The venture also aims to produce automobile spare parts in the future and it is expected that the new social business, which is a non-dividend company aiming at solving a social problem, will begin its work in Bangladesh in June 2013.
Prof Yunus and Kazuko Sumino, president of SK Dream, inked a deal in this regard on the sidelines of the Social Business Forum Asia, organized by Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan on July 20-22.
The Nobel laureate is attending the annual forum, and other social business events in Fukuoka and Tokyo during July 19-26, according to the statement.
Sumino is the founder of SK Dream that supports disadvantaged people. Her husband’s family established the famous Autobacs chain stores all across Japan, with annual revenues of $3 billion and over 500 stores in Japan.
She became very interested in the concept of social business since Professor Yunus’ visit to Japan in July 2011.
Sumino then sent her representatives to Bangladesh to discuss the possibility of setting up of a social business in Bangladesh, and carried out a feasibility study for auto mechanic training centre.
BBN/SSR/AD-22July12-11:10 am (BST)
