BPO summit kicks off in Dhaka tomorrow
Encouraged by the success of the first business process outsourcing (BPO) summit in December last year, the government along with the private sector is hosting the second edition of the event at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka tomorrow.
The government and BPO entrepreneurs aim to earn $1 billion from the sector and create two lakh jobs in the next five years.
The sector currently earns about $180 million a year and growth is nearly 100 percent, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT, at a press briefing at his office yesterday.
“Our target is to earn $3 billion from the ICT sector by 2021 and BPO can contribute $1 billion to it,” said Palak.
The ICT division and Bangladesh Association of Call Centre and Outsourcing (BACCO) are jointly organising the two-day summit, which will be attended by 47 local and 20 international analysts.
Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy will open the event. Ministers, senior officials and experts will also attend the programme as discussants, the organisers said.
The BPO industry has already created 30,000 jobs, and the government plans to increase the number to two lakh by 2021, Palak said.
“BPO is a promising sector for earning foreign currency and job creation,” he added.
At the first BPO summit, around 235 people got jobs, while another 10,000 showed their eagerness to work in the industry, said organisers.
India is currently the market leader in BPO, earning $80 billion a year, while the Philippines earns $16 billion and Sri Lanka $2 billion; they all got success in the last few years, Palak added.
India started its journey in the field 20 years back, he said. “We have just started and we are targeting to reach that milestone.” BPO services cost 30 percent to 40 percent less in Bangladesh compared to the neighbouring countries, said Ahmadul Hoq Bobby, president of BACCO.
Organisers are expecting 10,000 visitors at the event and they will also offer jobs to 200 graduates. The summit will present success stories and show how this sector can impact the economy, Bobby said.
“We want this sector to be a source of employment for the youth.”
Around 88 outsourcing companies are currently working in the capital while another six are running outside Dhaka, said BACCO leaders.
ICT Secretary Shyam Sunder Sikder was also present.
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