Japanese investors urged to recruit IT workers from BD

State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Tuesday called upon the Japanese investors to establish Offshore Development Centre (ODC) in order to recruit skilled IT workers from Bangladesh, reports BSS.

He spoke as the chief guest at the virtual inauguration programme of 'Bangladesh Japan B2B IT Business Matchmaking Meeting 2021', jointly arranged by Bangladesh embassy in Japan and Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Service (BASIS), says a press release.

Later, Palak officially inaugurated the B2B matchmaking programme.

"Bangladesh is currently 34th in the World Economic Forum's Integrated Development Index. By 2030, Bangladesh will be the 24th largest economy in the world," Palak told the virtual event.

According to the Oxford International Institute, the state minister said, Bangladesh ranks second in the global online workforce.

He said that the smart use of ICT in all sectors of the country is playing a role as a driving force in achieving this success.

Mentioning that various programmes are being taken and implemented under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with the aim of creating skilled manpower with technological knowledge, Palak said 39 high-tech parks are being constructed to provide cost effective services to companies interested in investing in the ICT sector.

"Sheikh Kamal IT Incubation Center, School of Future in 64 districts and 13,000 Sheikh Russell Digital Labs are being set up in different educational institutions," he said.

A target of $ 5 billion in revenue from the IT sector has been set for 2025, he added.

Referring to Japan as a long-time friend and development partner of Bangladesh, Palak said the B2B matchmaking programme would play an important role in connecting Bangladesh with Japanese IT companies, expanding business, and developing Bangladesh's IT sector.

NM Ziaul Alam, senior secretary, Department of Information and Communication Technology; Ito Naoki, ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh; Shahabuddin Ahmed, ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan; Dr Zafar Uddin, secretary to the Ministry of Commerce; Hayakawa Yuho, country representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Bangladesh; Yuji Ando, country representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETO); and Syed Almas Kabir, president of BASIS, also spoke.