The American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) proudly participated in the 4th WePOWER Regional Conference, jointly organized by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Negombo, Sri Lanka, from 4-5 June 2026. The conference brought together energy sector leaders, utilities, academic institutions, and development partners from across South Asia and beyond to advance the shared vision of building a more inclusive, resilient, and future-ready energy workforce. All partners of the WePOWER Bangladesh National Chapter (BNC) were invited to join this prestigious regional gathering, which also witnessed the participation of representatives from all WePOWER national chapters, along with delegates from multiple countries across different regions, making it a truly global platform for dialogue and collaboration. Notably, AIUB stands as the only educational partner of WePOWER BNC, underscoring its unique role in strengthening academia industry linkage in the energy sector.

AIUB was represented by Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman, Pro Vice Chancellor, AIUB and Assoc. Prof. Ms. Susmita Ghosh, Additional Director, IQAC-AIUB, who actively engaged in the conference discussions and knowledge sharing sessions with global experts and policymakers.

The 4th WePOWER Regional Conference highlighted the network’s remarkable progress since 2019, with over 21,000 activities reaching more than 282,000 women and girls and marked the establishment of the WePOWER Global Secretariat at AIT Bangkok to strengthen collaboration and long-term sustainability. Across both days, discussions emphasized that the energy transition must also be a people-centered transition, focusing on reskilling and upskilling the workforce, stronger academia industry linkages, and greater participation of women in technical and leadership roles, alongside emerging trends such as renewable energy integration, digitalization, AI-enabled learning, and workforce transformation. The conference further stressed the importance of creating equal opportunities for women in the energy sector through mentorship, training, improved access to careers, and supportive workplaces, while calling for collective action from governments, universities, industry, and development partners to ensure women can progress from education to leadership and decision-making roles.

AIUB’s participation in this regional platform reflects its continued commitment to advancing sustainable development, gender inclusion, and capacity building in higher education and the energy sector. As an active academic partner of WePOWER, AIUB continues to contribute to bridging the gap between academia and industry while promoting innovation, inclusivity, and future-ready skills development.

The conference concluded with a strong message that while WePOWER’s impact is already visible across South Asia and beyond, the journey toward an inclusive energy future is still unfolding. AIUB looks forward to strengthening its engagement with WePOWER and contributing further to regional and global initiatives that empower women and transform the energy sector.