e-Asia conference begins in city tomorrow

FE Report The conference titled e-Asia will act as a milestone for the country, raising its profile on the world ICT map, said experts. They think the country will get recognition internationally as an ICT destination due to presence of world-renowned ICT leaders in the conference, which is likely to bring many opportunities for Bangladesh. If the country can be properly presented in the international event, big IT investments will be lured along with increasing of outsourcing volume, they added. The three-day 5th annual e-Asia 2011 conference and exhibition with the slogan of 'Realising Digital Nation' will begin at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital tomorrow (Thursday) with a view to reinforcing the technology in the region. Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) president Mostafa Zabbar said the main objective of the conference is to present Bangladesh to the world for showing its current position and achievement. He said the conference will be an earning source of the country following visit of IT persons who will give different recommendations to develop the sector. "IT infrastructure problem and not having hi-tech park and second submarine cable are the main hindrances to sustainable development of the sector," Mr Zabbar told the FE. He said the government should develop IT infrastructure on a priority basis. President of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Mahboob Zaman said the event will bring a great opportunity for the country because of participation of big companies in it. The conference will lead to increase in the number of freelancers for outsourcing work, he expressed the hope. Consultant of the Ministry of Science and Information & Communication Technology and General Secretary of BdOSN Munir Hasan told the FE that the conference would lure ICT investment in the country along with dissemination of knowledge in the field. "We are taking preparation to make the country one of the strong ICT destinations in the world, though we have some lacking in quality," he added. Thirty seminars on different issues will be held in the three-day event, he said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference. Chief Operation Officer of world's biggest outsourcing site 'oDesk' Matt Cooper will be present in the conference. Four key themes-'Building Capacity, Connecting People, Serving Citizens and Driving Economy' will be focused on in the conference, Mr Munir said.