Dhaka:(IANS) Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the country’s World Trade Centre (WTC) in port city of Chittagong.

With the setting up of the 300-foot high and 24-storey centre, Bangladesh has now become part of a global network spanning over 100 countries, Xinhua reported.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Hasina expressed the hope that the centre will act as a catalyst for local and foreign organisations to network and explore new joint ventures and collaborations in their new initiatives.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), an association of leading businessmen, constructed the centre as a part of the global network of World Trade Centres Association (WTCA) as well as a global hub for international business, which offer facilities and services associated with global commerce under one umbrella.

The centre is expected to be a platform where the businesses from home and abroad would converge to stimulate trade and investment opportunities, CCCI President Mahbubul Alam said.

He had earlier told journalists that the WTC aimed at facilitating trade and commerce of the country from Chittagong, which is considered as the commercial hub of this region with the country’s premier seaport.

He said the chamber obtained license from the New York-based World Trade Centres Association for the WTC in Chittagong.

He said the centre houses banks, exhibition hall, shopping mall, food court, IT zone, International Trade Institute, International standard convention hall, meeting room, among others, to offer all kinds of business related services.