A lot more needs to be done

Mahboob ZamanPhoto: Anisur Rahman

The government needs to tie up the educational system with the growing IT industry to transform the country into a full-fledged knowledge-based economy.
Mahboob Zaman, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), said the present generation has to be wooed to implement the much-talked 'Digital Bangladesh' vision, as the under-25 age group makes up 65 per cent of the total population.
"This segment can take up technology easily," he told The Daily Star during an interview.
His comments came as BASIS, the apex body of the software industry and IT-enabled services, organised its annual flagship exposition in association with the Science and ICT Ministry and Access to Information programme of the Prime Minister's Office recently in the capital.
About 110 local companies and 10 firms from Denmark and the Netherlands took part in the ninth edition of the country's largest exposition for software and ICT-enabled services, which also featured over 20 seminars on various topics.
"The exposition has been a grand success in terms of size and features, and participation of industry people, politicians, and policymakers." Zaman said.
He said during the exposition they engaged heads of the educational boards including madrassas and vocational education and vice-chancellors of public and private universities to make the youths aware of the needs of the time.
Zaman said the country's over 800 software companies should work under one umbrella to share knowledge and other infrastructures.
"We need to share knowledge and resources regularly, as some companies are good at data and web contents while others in other areas."
"Besides, the government will not be able to ensure uninterrupted power supply and connectivity to every firm across the country. If we could have offices in the same building or in four to five buildings then it would be good for the industry", Zaman said.
"So, at a meeting we requested the prime minister for the IT park. She agreed and allocated us the Janata Tower," the president said.
Zaman said the government should also build IT parks in the university towns such as Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet to help graduates get engaged in the sector.
"There must be an engagement between universities and industry otherwise the industry will not flourish."
He said there would be a revolution in the country if the government can use Public Private Partnership (PPP) concept in the IT sector. "But business model needs to be changed."
"Many think that PPP only involves financial relationship among the parties. But it should be functional and operational relationship. Up to a certain period there must be joint ownership arrangement."
"The service must be split between the government and private parties. It must be based on build-operate-transfer basis."
He said the government should connect the country to the second submarine cable, instead of relying on the single one. "Otherwise, we will not be able to tap our potential in the global outsourcing business."
"We have to emphasis on increasing internet penetration, which now stands at paltry 5 per cent. Otherwise we will not get orders from overseas," he said.
Zaman said there are many students in the country who work online with different countries. "We have to provide them with technical, professional and business support. We have raw talents, and they should be nurtured methodically."
He said Bangladesh could tap opportunities in Africa and South and South-East Asia in the IT sector. "Africa can be a good market for mobile applications, while both the regions can be destinations for microfinance automation products."
"The government should participate in a single-country fair with products including IT-enabled services in countries where we have potentials."
"The commercial wings of our embassies abroad should also be provided with our products. We also need to set up representative offices in the Gulf countries."
He said although the country seems to be fascinated with 'Digital Bangladesh' vision, there is lack of coordination among the implementing agencies. "Different agencies are doing the same thing."
"This cannot continue, rather we need a coordinating authority. Otherwise, the whole momentum will go in vain if any mishap occurs," said Zaman, also the managing director of DataSoft Systems, a local software company.
"If we can proceed with a planned way then the IT-enabled services could become the main lifeline of the economy in next five to six years," he said.
On the quality of local software solutions, he said: "In the past, we only focused on providing allied services, while core services came from global IT giants. But our capacity is growing now and the clients are responding positively."
Zaman said Gartner's assessment on the country's outsourcing potentials last year has given the much-needed confidence to the growing industry. "It has shown us where we stand today, but we have to improve on that."
Gartner, world's leading information technology research and advisory company, for the first time, rated Bangladesh as offshore services location and placed among the top 30-country destination for outsourcing, thanks to its good cost proposition.
Zaman also ruled out any possibility of digital divide. "We have IT centres in each union across the country. Ninety-nine per cent of the population is now under mobile coverage ".
"Most of the people know how to operate a mobile phone and every mobile phone is itself a computer. It's a great achievement and milestone. If we can enrich them with contents then we will be growing like anything."

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