DABAWENYO entrepreneur and educator Joji Ilagan-Bian is the new Honorary Consul General of Bangladesh for Mindanao.
It was on April 20 when Ilagan-Bian was given the copy of the Exécutoire Letter of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.
In an online interview with Ilagan-Bian, she said she accepted the invitation for the position believing that her collective strength as an entrepreneur and educator will open linkages and opportunities for Bangladesh and for Mindanao.
“Bangladesh renewed focus on development on human capital, skills training, and education. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and women empowerment are all aligned with the areas that I had gained recognition for. Bangladesh has become also one of Asia’s most remarkable and unexpected success stories in recent years,” she said.
She further said that Dhaka, the largest and the capital city of Bangladesh is very much similar to Davao City in terms of it being an economic and cultural hub. She plans to work for people to people contact through business, tourism, and education.
“This will be a challenging task but I would want to take one small step at a time to achieve all of this. Having an honorary consular office in Davao for the Mindanao region is a good start to building awareness and appreciation of the opportunities that can develop between Davao and Dhaka in Bangladesh,” said Ilagan-Bian.
In Davao City, she founded Stockbridge International School, the Institute of International Culinary and Hospitality Entrepreneurship together with the Joji Ilagan International Schools, and just recently, she launched the Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship International Management School.
She was also the former president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.