Neelima Akhter Chowdhury, widely known as Sagorkanya (Daughter of the Sea) from Cox’s Bazar and the President of Agragati, has been selected for the prestigious IWEC (International Economic Empowerment Program for Women) Award.
The International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation (IWEC) is a global economic empowerment program for women, established in 2007 with support from the U.S. Department of State. The current Chairperson of IWEC, Ms. Ibukun Awosika, congratulated Neelima Akhter Chowdhury on her selection and extended gratitude to the Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CWCCI) for their support. She has been invited to Barcelona, Spain, to receive the award and prize money.
IWEC aims to create a worldwide network of successful female entrepreneurs, enabling them to expand into international markets. The initiative has been backed by global chambers of commerce, including the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (MCC), and FICCI/FLO Chamber in New Delhi. The U.S. Department of State has significantly integrated African women into this network, further strengthening its international reach.
Since 2007, the IWEC annual conferences have been hosted in cities such as Barcelona, New York, New Delhi, Cape Town, Lima, Stockholm, Istanbul, Brussels, Seattle, Shanghai, Madrid, and Turin. To date, 538 female entrepreneurs from 48 countries have been honored for their outstanding contributions across various industries. This year, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, the Middle East, Indonesia, North and South America, China, and three African nations will be represented at the conference.
Neelima Akhter Chowdhury is a six-time national and Commonwealth award recipient and the founder of Agragati, a renowned NGO dedicated to social development. Under her leadership, over 500,000 marginalized, impoverished, and underprivileged women from Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram have become self-reliant through various support programs. Her remarkable contributions to social welfare, humanitarian service, and women’s entrepreneurship have earned her national and international recognition.
By Abdur Rashid Manik
Photo: Collected
