Government working to create 3 million tech jobs by 2025
The ICT state minister made the announcement at the Basis International ICT Awards 2022
The government is working to increase software and tech services exports to $5 billion by 2025 from $1.4 billion currently, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said at the Basis International ICT Awards 2022 on 31 October.
The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) organised the award giving ceremony at a hotel in the capital to award 68 tech innovative projects in 36 categories.
The recipients would now get to participate in the Apicta Awards – known as the Oscar for technological innovations in the Asia-Pacific region – to help boost Bangladesh's credentials as a tech services hotspot.
The winners include Instasure in the fintech category, Military Institute of Science and Technology in the research and development category, Mainframe Labs Ltd in the education category, iPAGE BANGLADESH in the agriculture category, Zlix Global in the sustainability category, among others.
To cater for the growing global demand for Bangladeshi softwares and tech services, the government would ensure creation of three million tech jobs and this year's Basis award winners would play a key role to meet the target, Palak said.
Others present at the award giving ceremony included ICT division's Senior Secretary NM Zeaul Alam, Basis President Russell T Ahmed and Md Jashim Uddin, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
Urging increased attention on technological innovations, the state minister said software would be the main driving force world the world's future and, as a result, exports from the industry is the key focus of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Vision-2041.
Russell T Ahmed said the private participants facilitating the government's various e-governance projects should be properly recognised and their names should be mentioned in related projects. These practices would not only benefit the relevant private organisations but also help in their accountability and getting relevant foreign outsourcing jobs.
Basis would groom the winners of this year before they go to vie for Asian dominance at Apicta Awards, Russell added while calling on the government for allowing increased participation of his organisation in developing human capital in the country's tech sector.
He hoped Bangladesh can win awards at the event like in previous years.
