Digital Bangladesh pledge rings again

Commerce Minister Faruk Khan visits a stall after the launch of 'BASIS Softexpo-2009' yesterday at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.Photo: STARStar Business Report

Stakeholders of the ICT industry breathed a sigh of relief, as government high-ups yesterday reiterated their commitment to do whatever needed for the development of the sector.

Two ministers and one state minister promised before the sector people to develop the industry by any means and execute their election pledge of creating a 'Digital Bangladesh'. The guests, attending the inauguration of the BASIS Softexpo-2009, lauded the announcement.

The major promises made by the ministers included introduction of the e-payment system, e-governance, along with introducing the ICT curriculum at the secondary level of education.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said all government purchases should go through online payment or e-commerce to ensure transparency.

Speaking as the chief guest at the launch of the five-day exposition, he said: "I think all government purchases should go through the online system so that transparency can be ensured and corruption be checked."

Bangladesh has huge legal and infrastructure hurdles to pass before an e-payment system can be introduced. The ICT sector's pleas to set up an e-payment network and introduce digital signatures were not translated into reality.

'Softexpo' is a yearly event of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) that aims to showcase products and services by local and foreign software developers. The US, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Russia are also showcasing their products and IT enabled services at Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Centre.

The finance minister hinted at introducing e-governance soon, saying the administration system should be automated and the government should utilise the innovations of the local software industry.

He advised the industry people to go for ICT (information and communication technology) product manufacturing. "We have the talent. What prevents us from producing micro-processors?" Muhith asked.

Bangladesh's software industry has a less than 1 percent market share in the $300 billion global market. The country exported software and IT enabled services worth $25 million in 2008.

The export target of IT-enabled services of $30 million by 2009 did not satisfy Commerce Minister Faruk Khan. He said the export target could not be set higher due to a lack of government support.

In line with government plans, ICT will be introduced in the educational curriculum at the secondary level by 2013 and primary level by 2021.

"The government must value the commitments made, especially to the country's 32 percent youth, during the election campaign to create a Digital Bangladesh by 2021," he said.

"We are working to identify the sector's problems and how to overcome these at the same time," said Yeafesh Osman, state minister for the science and ICT ministry.

BASIS President Habibullah N Karim said Nepal and Bhutan have already introduced e-commerce while Bangladesh lags behind.

He urged the government to allocate 5 percent of the total annual development programme towards the ICT sector, if the government intends to achieve the target of making a digital Bangladesh.

The BASIS Softexpo remains open from 10am to 8pm every day. The fair is free for students, but an entry fee for others is Tk 20.