Tech
Smart Bangladesh to take the Country to a Next Tech Hub in Asia
Published
2 years agoon
By Zunaid Ahmed Palak
In the last decade, Bangladesh has shown the world how revolutionary progress can be achieved through building a Digital Bangladesh vision as dreamt by our visionary leader Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It has now embarked on a task to build a Smart Bangladesh to take the country to a next tech hub in Asia.
Just a decade ago, Bangladesh had to import all the smartphones to meet the demands of the country’s growing smartphone users. Now, Samsung, one of the world’s biggest producers of smartphones, manufactures its latest high end devices in Bangladesh.
Since 2021, Samsung started manufacturing its Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G phones in Bangladeshi plants. In the US, this phone costs USD 1199.99 and if imported its cost would be more than BDT 166,000. Thanks to local assembling plants, Bangladeshi customers could purchase this phone at only BDT 119,000.
Not only Samsung, various companies such as Walton, Vivo, Oppo are also producing high-end smartphones in Bangladesh. In 2022, locally manufactured and assembled phones met more than 52 percent demand of smartphones.
The secret behind such astounding transformation in the last few years is the current governments special focus on expanding ICT and heavy industries. Now the governments priority in this sector has been impeccably explained in its Smart Bangladesh vision.
Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041 as announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is expected to achieve zero percent poverty, 100 percent high speed internet accessibility, 100 percent more than 5G smartphone penetration and 100 percent inclusive, circular and cashless economy and expansion of ICT based green industries by 2041. Besides, all the government services will be delivered electronically, government offices will be completely paperless and citizens will live in an absolutely inclusive, empowered and self-sufficient society.
The Bangladesh started journey towards Digital Bangladesh back in 2009 when the current ruling party Awami League came into power. There was no ICT ecosystem at that time. There were no government services that could be delivered electronically. Only 1 percent of the citizens had internet connection. There were only around 50,000 IT professionals in the entire country. And, export revenue from ICT based industry was only 26 million USD. But the fact of the matter is: under the prudent and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government has radically transformed the ICT ecosystem and built Digital Bangladesh over the last decade. Government has digitized 2 thousand services to citizens access to it. Out of 170 million people 130 million people have stable internet connection. Bangladesh currently earns over 1.4 billion USD annually by exporting ICT related services.
The Bangladesh government has implemented this massive transformation by establishing a safe and friendly investment ecosystem for the investors and entrepreneurs. The government has been providing attractive incentives for investors to expand the emerging ICT industry of the country. For instance, IT companies can enjoy 10 years of corporate tax exemption and if they invest in one of the Hi-tech parks established by the government, the duration of corporate tax exemption can be 12 years. Expatriate professionals working in Bangladesh’s ICT industry are exempted from income tax. Import duties for the investors or entrepreneurs for importing capital machineries and other assets are exempted.
Besides these, the investors will enjoy exemption from VAT, double taxation, stamp duty, registration fee (if they want to purchase land) and 100 percent profit repatriation facility. If the investors or entrepreneurs invest in Hi-tech parks, they will also enjoy bonded warehouse facilities.
Such lucrative incentives have already created an unprecedented acceleration in Bangladesh’s emerging ICT market. In the last five years, more than 2500 startups have been established in the country and around 200 ICT startups are entering the market every year.
There are currently more than 400 companies in Bangladesh who achieved funding by renowned international investors such as Soft Bank Group, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Adventure Capital and many others.
Thanks to these investments, more than 2 million jobs have been created in Bangladesh’s ICT industry in the last decade. In fact, Bangladesh has reached a global milestone in expanding its ecommerce and digital financing. At present, Bangladesh boasts of 181 million users of mobile phones making it the 9th largest mobile market of the world.
There are more than 188 million subscribers of mobile financial services (MFS) who are doing 14 million transactions every day. Bangladesh’s MFS such as BKASH and Nagad (state owned) have earned many national and global recognitions for their innovative and committed customer services. Since 2011, MFS are growing in Bangladesh at an astounding 500 percent growth rate.
Like MFS, Bangladesh’s ecommerce market is also a hidden treasure for potential investors. Global players like Alibaba, Daraz and various national level startups have already created a 3 billion USD ecommerce market in the last five years. However, this is only 35 percent of the total market size and within the next two years the market can be expanded to address the demands of 80 percent of its consumers.
Bangladesh has also achieved a major breakthrough in expanding its digital device market. Even in the last decade, Bangladesh had to import almost all of the electronic products. However, nowadays Bangladesh has become an emerging exporter of electronic products manufactured in Bangladesh.
The country has created a 2.4 billion USD market of electronic devices and annual growth of the market is 29.3 percent. Walton, a Bangladeshi brand has been exporting home appliance electronics and heavy machineries for almost a decade. Products of globally renowned brands like Samsung and Sony are now being assembled in Bangladesh.
In the near future, Bangladesh is going to be a big player in the global semiconductor industry. Bangladeshi researchers in collaboration with their American counterparts have developed semiconductors which have the highest operational temperature of 300 degree celsius, more than double that of conventional semiconductors.
Bangladesh government has allocated 10 million USD to establish Nano Lab to conduct fundamental research on semiconductors in Bangladesh. Besides, four Bangladeshi companies are already producing electronic chips and exporting them to different countries as well. More than 1000 trained Bangladeshi engineers are working in these companies. The government is now giving 10 percent export incentive for electronic chip exporting companies. If the current rate of growth continues, It is expected that Bangladesh will create a 20 billion dollar semiconductor industry by 2041.
Such outstanding progress in the ICT industry has been possible due to Bangladesh governments remarkable attention on creating skilled manpower in the ICT sector.
The ICT division has been providing a wide range of ICT training to millions of youths, particularly women all over the country to become freelancers and skilled IT professionals. Many of these trained youths have later become successful entrepreneurs, freelancers and IT professionals.
Bangladeshi freelancers are earning 400 million USD annually through their skilled and cost-effective services. According to Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and World Bank reports Bangladesh’s position in the online labour forces is second. From 2010-2018, income growth of the IT professionals was around 10 percent, however, from 2019 to till now, the growth rate has increased up to 40 percent.
Utilization of these ready to deploy resources can only be possible if the government can attract foreign direct investments and young entrepreneurs in the country’s rapidly emerging ICT sector. And, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is more than ready for them.
Our next goal is to develop a smart economy within next five years where we shall be able to establish a 100 percent cashless, circular economy. To achieve this goal, we would provide support to develop at least 5 unicorn startup companies (USD 1 billion company each). We have also planned to develop 50 unicorn startup companies by 2041. Our government will do everything possible to attract investors and entrepreneurs to invest in this sector and they will be the key players in realizing our dream of Smart Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has a massive pool of millions of skilled youths, all the necessary infrastructure and extremely conducive environment for young entrepreneurs and large scale investment as well. The initiatives taking by the present Government is the line with the Smart Bangladesh vision there is no doubt that Bangladesh is going to be the next tech hub in Asia and beyond.
The writer is Honble State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak. e-mail: me@palak.net.bd
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Tech
Rampant Corruption Plagues ICT Sector in 15 years : White Paper
Published
2 days agoon
December 3, 2024
Highlights
- ICT sector plagued by corruption
- Hi-Tech parks fail to attract investors
- Lack of transparency in project implementation
- Misuse of funds to benefit preferred vendors
- Calls for robust project evaluations
The White Paper on the State of the Bangladesh Economy, submitted to the Chief Adviser today (1 December), identified the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector as one of the most affected by corruption.
“The review of the White Paper puts the banking sector on top of the most corruption-ravaged sectors, followed by physical infrastructure, and energy and power,” it reads.
ICT was also identified as one of the most corruption-affected sectors by its operational and technological novelty, it added.
The White Paper committee’s comment highlights years-long corruption allegations in the key sector the Awami League pledged to improve during the 2008 election for the sake of national progress.
And the story later frustrated the youth and technology experts due to huge waste of taxpayers’ money in improper projects. These lacked transparencies and were alleged to benefit people close to the then regime.
In the one and half decades of Sheikh Hasina’s ruling, the state spent nearly Tk29,000 crore to build “Digital Bangladesh” and later “Smart Bangladesh by 2041.”
Most of the funds were allocated to infrastructure projects, which still require justification from sector experts. For instance, Hi Tech parks outside major cities barely attracted investors.
Government-funded projects aimed at youth ICT training, women empowerment, and local app and game development, costing hundreds of crores of Taka, appear to have primarily benefited officials and their preferred vendors, reveals the gradually unfolding facts.
The interim government in August formed a committee to evaluate the ongoing projects already recommended to downsize them in lots of unjustified cases. It will also dig deeper to find the anomalies in the already finished projects.
In an example of how the government projects were being justified in questioned ways, the white paper mentioned a 2013-18 ICT Division project “Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment, and Governance Projects” that had a 43% cost increase to Tk774 crore, from its original budget of Tk521.97 crore.
According to the White Paper, the large capacity-building initiative aimed to promote the IT sector and train 30,000 individuals for employment within it. The evaluation report from the Planning Ministry’s Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division showed strong satisfaction with the project’s success.
However, it overlooked the contributions of training institutions, colleges, and universities that also played a role in advancing the sector, the White Paper stated.
Additionally, the quality of the evaluation report was inadequate, as it failed to distinguish the marginal impacts of training 30,000 individuals on the entire IT sector.
This analytical weakness in assessing the project’s impacts has contributed to the continuation of various ICT and other projects that lack tangible benefits.
“It highlights the need for more robust evaluations to ensure that future initiatives are grounded in a clear understanding of their actual contributions to the sector,” said the White Paper.
Bangladesh lags behind many comparator countries in a number of technological indexes, despite the digital and smart nation narratives.
Tech
Corruption behind Tk 650bn investment in telecom, ICT sectors
Published
2 days agoon
December 3, 2024
ICT Advisor Nahid Islam has said due to ‘irregularities’, Bangladesh has not realised the full benefits of the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ initiative despite a substantial investment of Tk 650 billion in the telecommunications and ICT sectors under the Awami League government.
Speaking at an ADP review meeting at the Posts and Telecommunication Division on Monday, Nahid criticised the execution of numerous costly projects under the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ banner which, according to him, failed to deliver their promised impact.
From fiscal year 2010-11 to 2024-25, the ICT Division implemented projects worth Tk 250 billion, while the Posts and Telecommunications Division accounted for projects totaling Tk 400 billion.
Despite these investments, Bangladesh scored a modest 62 out of 100 in the June 2024 edition of the ICT Development Index by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, trailing behind nations such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Vietnam, and Bhutan.
Highlighting the country’s technological lag, Nahid referenced the May 2024 Ookla Speedtest Global Index, where Bangladesh ranked 109th out of 147 countries in internet speed, below Kenya.
Also, Bangladesh placed 108th in broadband internet performance, with India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Rwanda, and Ghana all performing better.
In the realm of artificial intelligence, the IMF’s June 2024 Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index placed Bangladesh 113th, again behind India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Rwanda, and Ghana.
The Digital Quality of Life Index 2023 by cybersecurity firm Surfshark saw Bangladesh drop five notches to 82nd among 121 countries, with internet speed 5 percent below the global average.
Rankings in the Key Government Index, e-security, and internet purchasing capacity were similarly below par.
Nahid also pointed out that Bangladesh lags in freelancing, ranked 29th among the top 30 global destinations, as per an April 2024 report by US-based CEOWORLD magazine, trailing behind India and Pakistan.
These indicators, according to Nahid, reflect not just the failure to enjoy the full benefits of digital initiatives but also suggest pervasive irregularities in the sector.
He criticised the frequent delays and the need for repeated extensions in project timelines, calling for more sensible proposals regarding extensions.
Nahid emphasised that timely and proper project completion could significantly propel the nation’s progress in internet and telecommunication sectors, benefitting all Bangladeshis.
The meeting disclosed that nine projects are currently underway within the four offices of the Posts and Telecommunications Division for the fiscal year 2024-25, involving entities such as Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, or BTCL, Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, the Directorate of Posts, and Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC.
As of August 2024, national-level project progress for the fiscal year was reported at 1.02 percent, with the Posts and Telecommunications Division achieving a progress rate of 3.84 percent.
Tech
Web Summit to host hundreds of curated community meetups in Lisbon this November
Published
3 months agoon
September 13, 2024
Web Summit has announced today that it will host hundreds of curated community meetups in Lisbon this November, powered by its proprietary software, Summit Engine.
This initiative is part of Web Summit’s renewed mission to foster meaningful connections and communities. By bringing people with similar backgrounds, interests and objectives together in community meetups, Web Summit hopes to make the event feel smaller and more intimate for attendees, as it continues to grow and scale across the world. Hundreds of these community meetups will take place alongside signature challenging discussions on how technology is shaping the world.
So far, this year’s top speakers include Yinon C. (Yinon Costica), co-founder of cybersecurity powerhouse WIZ , which recently made waves by turning down a US$23 billion offer from Google; Julie De Moyer , LVMH ’s recently appointed chief data and AI officer; Lidiane Jones , CEO of popular dating app Bumble Inc. , which harnesses AI to improve matchmaking; Cristiano Anon, CEO of Qualcomm, the company working to create bigger, better, and more affordable AI chips; and Meredith Whittaker, president of encrypted messaging app Signal, which is fighting against government measures to scan citizen’s private messages.
Also taking to the stage will be Alibaba.com president Kuo Zhang ; Škoda Auto CMO Meredith Kelly; Amazon Web Services VP of AI Matt Wood ; Meta’s global head of consumer marketing, Eshan Ponnadurai; Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada, and much more. They will be joined, by world comms@websummit.com leaders and changemakers, including Germany’s Vice Chancellor, Robert Habeck; Portugal’s minister of youth and modernisation, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López.
Global tech companies, including IBM, Adobe, Intercom, Samsung Next, and Niantic Labs will exhibit on the floor alongside financial giants such as Visa and American Express. Other notable partners include Novo Nordisk, Bosch, EDP, and KPMG.
New for 2024: Hundreds of curated meetings
Of course, Web Summit isn’t just about the speakers – it’s about the connections. That’s why this November, our curated meetups, powered by Summit Engine, will bring together attendees with shared roles or interests in AI, fintech, crypto, food tech, sustainability, and more.
To do this, Web Summit’s data science team uses in-house software to group attendees who have common interests and backgrounds, helping uncover emerging communities. This technology was tested this year at Web Summit Rio in April, and at Collision in Toronto in June. From data scientists in Uruguay and food tech startup founders and investors to public sector AI innovators, Web Summit wants to make sure that the right people find each other at our events. Attendees can use the Web Summit app to easily connect and stay in touch with those they’ve met long after the event ends in November
“This is going to be our biggest but also our smallest event yet … we aim to host thousands of community meetups at the event and across Lisbon in November. We are evolving from being one large event to becoming a collection of a thousand deep, interconnected experiences,“ said Paddy Cosgrave .
“Over the last 15 years, the world has changed in many ways, and we’ve always been committed to adapting and re-evaluating our mission and goals to meet evolving challenges, ideas, and global circumstances. We’re currently in an especially charged moment in time,” Paddy continued.
“We are bigger than ever, but our mission remains the same – connecting the people, companies and ideas that change the word. Ultimately, the best event experience is when you walk away with a stronger network than you came with,” added SVP of product Brian Flanagan .
Just announced
The full list of speakers at Web Summit is being announced today:
● Lidiane Jones, CEO of Bumble
● Anastasis Germanidis , co-founder and CTO of Runway
● Meredith Kelly , CMO of Škoda Auto
● Sarah Myers West , co-executive chair of AI Now Institute
● Patrick Kluivert, former footballer with Barcelona and The Netherlands
● Paula Goldman , chief ethical and humane use officer at Salesforce
● Omar Berrada, CEO of Manchester United
● Hans Niemann , chess grandmaster
● Meredith Whittaker , president of Signal Messenger
● Munya Chawawa, actor and comedian
● Atul Bhardwaj j, chief digital and technical officer at the LEGO Group
● Smita Hashim , chief product officer at Zoom
● Alex Hirschi, founder of Supercar Blondie
New speakers are being added regularly on the Web Summit speaker page
About Web Summit:
Web Summit is a technology events company, bringing together a global community of founders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to connect and exchange ideas about the technology and trends shaping the world. Web Summit events – including Web Summit in Lisbon, Web Summit Rio in South America, Web Summit Qatar in the Middle East, and RISE in Asia – have gathered nearly one million people since Web Summit’s beginnings as a 150-person conference in Dublin in 2009. Its newest event, Web Summit Vancouver, will launch in May 2025.
Useful Links:
Web Summit website: https://websummit.com/
Web Summit Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/albums/
Web Summit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJtkHqH4Qof97TSx7BzE5IQ
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