New Delhi, 17 May 2024: At the invitation of R Dinesh, President of CII (2023-2024), ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe participated as a panelist at the CII Annual Business Summit in New Delhi. This summit is considered one of the largest business gatherings in the country.

In Panel 10: ‘Inclusive Growth and Development in the Region: Role and Voice of the Global South,’ President Watanabe shared the stage with H.E. Salman F. Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh (Cabinet Minister) and Co-founder & Vice Chairman of BEXIMCO Group. The session was moderated by Sanjiv Puri, President-Designate of CII (2024–2025).

President Watanabe spoke about the significant shift in the global economic landscape and asserted that Global South countries are poised to play an even greater role. He noted that geopolitical tensions and multiple global shocks are shifting supply chain manufacturing to this region, particularly to India, ASEAN, and Bangladesh. However, to fully leverage this opportunity, human resource development must be strengthened to meet the emerging needs for skilled talent.

Sanjiv Puri, as moderator, appreciated the key messages brought by President Watanabe to the panel discussion and agreed that human resource development is essential.