BASIS SoftExpo attains huge response from foreign buyers
Economic Reporter :
SoftExpo2023 in the capital organised by Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) attained huge response from buyers worldwide, insiders said.
BASIS SoftExpo2023, has started upholding the slogan ‘Welcome to Smartverse’ on 23-26 February 2023 at Purbachal in Dhaka since Thursday.
Insiders said buyers from United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Japan, Middle East and other countries have showed very good response in the exhibition.
“The buyers have visited in numbers and started contact with the exhibitors in the SoftExpo with huge enthusiasm,” Badruddoza Mahmud Tuhin, Coordinator of Media and Public Relations, told The New Nation on Friday.
BASIS President Russel T Ahmed, Softexpo2023 said that they have a target to earn five billion dollars from the software exporting sector by 2025.
He said also that the sector could earn 20 billion dollars by 2031 by following 3/3 formula.
The BASIS President explained the formula saying government, Academia and stakeholders are the three parts who have to conduct research and development, do branding of the Information Technology sector in home and abroad and to create neccessary manpower for this sector.
Russel T Ahmed emphasised on coordinating work for making the sector more vibrant and potential before the globe.
Besides, a Startup conference was held at the Softexpo2023 with hundreds of youth entrepreneurs’ participation. BASIS President Russel T Ahmed presided over the conference while Ashneer Grover, founder of ‘Bharat Pay’, AKM Fahim Mashroor, CEO of BdJobs, Ayman Sadiq, founder of ‘Ten Minute School was guest speakers.
BASIS, the national commercial organisation of information and technology sector, organised it at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center.
The organisers said that it is the largest ever private-sector exposition aimed at exposing the capabilities, potentials and innovations of IT and ITES before the world.
Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, the Speaker of the National Parliament inaugurated the Softexpo.
Besides, Mostafa Jabbar, Minister of Post and Telecommunication and State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak of ICT Ministry were also present at the inauguration ceremony.
The BASIS President said the SoftExpo will also to showcase IT and ITES products and services in Bangladesh.
He said that local and international exhibotors have participated in 204 stalls and pavilions at the SoftExpo.
200 local and international experts is to give speeches at its seminars. 20 seminars will be held. Biggest ever ICT based career camp participated by 2000 students will be held. Innovation projects of students from 50 Universities, Biggest ever outsourcing conference, Ambassadors night, ministerial conference, women in IT Programme, Developers conference and Japan Day will be consisted in the four day event. Meanwhile, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) said that Bangladesh’s IT industry’s export has rose by 36 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal year. EPB data showed that IT firms earned USD 282.77 million between July and December 2022, up from USD 208.09 million in the same period in 2021. This growth was driven by the shipment of computer data-processing and hosting services, which increased to USD 233.55 million from USD 154.82 million year-on-year. It said that local entrepreneurs received outsourcing orders for various tasks, including back-office operations, image processing, graphic design, animation, data entry, accounting, legal process outsourcing and data analytics.
