South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity (SARIC)

Team SARIC organized “Meet and Greet” events in Kathmandu, Dhaka and Colombo, uniting participants from the WePOWER SAR-100 program and alumni of the Building Blocks for Inclusive Regional Infrastructure (BBIRI) program in these countries.

Bangladesh and Nepal

Apart from inter-cohort networking, the SARIC alumni also had the opportunity to meet Ishara Davey from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Government of Australia), Abhirup Bhunia and Shivani Manaktala from SARIC, Ty Morissey and Joshua from Adam Smith International, and Catherine Renshaw and Tait Brimacombe from the Strategic Development Group.
The SAR-100 program, an ongoing initiative, is a unique technical training program crafted for 100 Women Energy Professionals in the South Asian region. This program has fostered a dynamic community of women energy experts, facilitating the exchange of knowledge across the South Asian region. This hybrid training program brings together women energy professionals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

In February 2023, the “Building Blocks for Inclusive Regional Infrastructure Projects” (BBIRI) training program took place in Australia. It addressed the fundamental learning needs of private and public sector stakeholders in the energy and transport sectors, covering a diverse range of topics such as PPP, ESG, GEDSI, and project management.

SARIC alumni have particularly benefitted from engaging with peers from across the region as it has strengthened their understanding of regional sectoral challenges, brainstorm on possible solutions and foster meaningful cross-border collaborations in the process.
It is noteworthy that both BBIRI program graduates and SAR-100 program participants have reaped significant advantages from the networks and communities they established as part of their respective cohorts. They expressed optimism about the potential for these connections to lead to greater collaborations between the public and private sectors.

Sri Lanka

SARIC Team Shivani Manaktala and Farheen Khurrum had a mini catch-up in Colombo with alumni from the BBIRI training program – Noor Rizna Anees, Yasantha Rathuvithana and Shantha Jayasinghe . It was wonderful to know how our alumni were applying their learnings effectively at the workplace. The alumni also shared how participating in the SARIC Program has helped them gain new perspectives, acquire practical skills, and expand their professional networks.
It was insightful to learn that ‘SARIC in Workplace’ plan is helping our alumni to create a positive impact in the organisations they serve.
Participants from BBIRI and SAR-100 programs shared the invaluable experience gained through these training programs. They highlighted the benefits of experiential learning, classroom training and insights received during the courses by experts in the field, representing both the South Asian region and Australia.

Shivani Manaktala and Farheen Khurram with the team