PM’s ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed said Bangladesh’s ICT sector exports would exceed $1bn in next five years and gradually supersede the garment industry.
The present earnings from ICT sector is $300m.
Sajeeb said the government has focused on creating IT entrepreneurs, IT experts, outsourcing technicians and call-centre professionals.
He was addressing the inauguration of a two-day Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Summit Bangladesh 2015 as chief guest at a city hotel yesterday.
The ICT Division, in association with Bangladesh Association of Call Centres and Outsourcing (BACCO), is hosting the event for the first time in Bangladesh. This is aimed at branding Bangladesh as an ideal place for investment and business management.
“ICT sector export has now stood at $300m from only $26m six years ago. Over 200,000 people are now involved with the field. But six years ago there were only a few thousand programmers in the country,” Sajeeb Wazed said.
“We now have a target to train 50,000 youth annually on ICT. Last year, we have trained around 30,000 youths, and from now onwards, 50,000 youths will be given with necessary training annually on ICT and software development.”
He said the BPO sector outsourcing earning is now $100m and “we target to cross $1bn.” “The young workforce in BPO is now 25,000 and is expected to reach around 200,000 in next five years.”
State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said the government was trying to establish necessary ecosystem for the BPO system to draw maximum benefit from the sector.
He said the government has set plans to bring 1,200 unions under the high-speed internet connectivity by 2017 and 4,500 unions by 2018. “We will set up 554 BPO centres across the country.”
World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Chairman Santiago Gutierrez said the IT industry in Bangladesh has the potential to drive the economy to that of a middle-income country.
“We would like to support your efforts not in the BPO, but also in ICT through promoting success and progress across the world.”
Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Imran Ahmad said it took 7-8 years for Philippines to earn $25bn annually from the sector and now contribution of the sector in its GDP is 10-12%.
ICT Division Secretary Shyam Sunder Sikder said the government was working to transform the labour-based economy into a merit-based one.
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Abdul Matlub Ahmad said FBCCI invited Philippines businessmen to take a joint-venture intiative in BPO in Bangladesh. He said they had agreed.
“BPO will do miracle in coming years. I am sure BPO will lead the economy in future,” he said.
BACCO President Ahmadul Hoq said the government needs to outsource citizen service delivery activities through IT and for making this, universities and educational institutions need to align with the BPO sector.
A total of 40 personalities in ICT sector from home and overseas will attend different sessions in the summit.
Spot interviews for job seekers will be held at the summit while 200 students will get appointment letters to the call centres.
BPO is a growing sector worldwide with an industry worth over $500bn pent up demand. India, Sri Lanka and Philippines are currently leading the worldwide BPO industry with earnings of $80bn, $2bn and $16bn respectively.