Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, right, discusses social business with Senator Leoluca Orlando, mayor of Palermo, at the latter’s office in Sicily’s capital on Thursday. Photo: Yunus Centre
The mayor of Palermo, an Italian city, has shown keen interest to set up a social business to address the problem of youth unemployment.
The willingness of Senator Leoluca Orlando on launching the business in line with the new business concept pioneered by Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus was disclosed during a meeting with the Bangladeshi economist in Sicily’s capital on Thursday.
The mayor, already well-informed about social business, called upon Prof Yunus to apply the business idea in a joint project for women and youth with the use of assets confiscated from mafia, according to a statement from Yunus Centre in Dhaka yesterday.
Mayor Orlando has successfully clamped down on the notorious mafia of Palermo, and has confiscated a large part of its assets.
During his visit to the mayor’s office, about 50 Bangladeshis met the founder of Grameen Bank.
The mayor said the Bangladeshi community has become the largest foreign community in Palermo.
There are more than 10,000 Bangladeshis in the city. Of 21 city council members, three are from Bangladesh, who also joined the mayor in his discussion with Prof Yunus.
The University of Palermo, with 50,000 students, also offered to confer an honorary degree to Prof Yunus during his next visit.
The university’s rector expressed interest in getting his faculty members and students involved in social business project in Palermo, according to the statement.
