🇧🇩 ICT Industry in Bangladesh (69 Viewers)

[Saif]

ICT is going to be main saviour of economy: Salman

Noting that the ICT sector is going to be the main saviour of the country’s economy in the future, prime minister’s private industry and investment adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman on Sunday advocated for continuing the various tax facilities policy apart from support that the sector is currently...

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ICT is going to be main saviour of economy: Salman
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka 05 May, 2024, 22:16

Salman Fazlur Rahman. | — New Age file photo

Noting that the ICT sector is going to be the main saviour of the country's economy in the future, prime minister's private industry and investment adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman on Sunday advocated for continuing the various tax facilities policy apart from support that the sector is currently enjoying for further flourish of this sector.

'I'm cent per cent agreed with the ICT entrepreneurs that the existing tax facilities should remain. I still think that the sector is still at the premature stage and it won't be wise to withdraw the existing tax facilities that the sector is currently enjoying. Rather, we've to think of giving more incentives, otherwise challenges will come,' he said.

Salman was speaking as chief guest at a roundtable titled 'Investment Climate for Smart Bangladesh' held at a city hotel.

State minister for posts, telecommunications and ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and parliamentary standing committee chairman on the same ministry Kazi Nabil Ahmed spoke as special guests chaired by Venture Capital and Private Equity Association of Bangladesh president Shameem Ahsan. The VCPEAB organised the roundtable.

Ferdous Ahmed, MP and Zara Jabeen Mahbub, MP also spoke as guests of honour.

Agreeing with the various demands of the entrepreneurs of the ICT sector, Salman said that he would discuss with the finance minister and the prime minister regarding the various issues surrounding the industry.

Criticising slightly the National Board of Revenue for imposing more burden on the existing regular taxpayers, the adviser suggested that the revenue board should focus more on bringing in the untaxed people to the tax net.

'Unless the tax collection system is digitalised fully or major reforms are not brought, then the tax to GDP ratio will not increase,' he added.

Mentioning that data is going to be the main asset in the coming days, the adviser urged the relevant stakeholders and entrepreneurs to give more emphasis on AI, data sign, big data management, chip designing, cyber security and establishing a huge data centre.

State minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that the country's IT and ICT sector witnessed massive successes over the last 15 years under the farsighted vision of prime minister's ICT adviser Sajeeb Wazed Ahmed and courageous leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He urged the PM's private industry and investment adviser to talk with the finance minister and the prime minister about the rational demands of continuing tax facilities in the ICT sector.

The state minister suggested that the higher educational institutions and universities should change their curriculum in line with the changing global context in the ICT sector.

He opined that the existing tax exemption facilities in the ICT sector should continue in the next year while there could be discussions on how to facilitate the sector considering the changing context of FY26, FY31 and FY41.

Palak opined that if the ICT sector receives government's policy support for the next 10 years, then the ICT and the IT enabled services would be the major export-oriented sector in the country.

Kazi Nabil Ahmed, MP said that there was a need to make more energetic and skilled Human Resources to make each and every sector of the country technology-based.

'We've to make a knowledge-based economy to build Smart Bangladesh,' he said, adding that the government and the private sector should leapfrog the initiatives in this sector to make the Smart Bangladesh vision visible.

The ICT policies mainly focuses on data protection and cyber security along with ease of doing ICT business by streamlining tax incentives, including 100 per cent CIT exemption for the ICT/software industry, 10 per cent export subsidies, VAT exemption on local bills during production. Additionally, initiatives to attract foreign investment include 100 per cent tax exemption for income from software development, 2 per cent duty on ICT related hardware imports etc.

The ICT industry emphasizes achieving a $50 billion ICT GDP by 2041, which entails increasing the sector's contribution to the national GDP from less than 1 per cent to 2-3 per cent by 2041.

In his presentation, Shaheem Ahsan said that withdrawal of incentives and policy support would directly impact local and foreign investment, worsen unemployment and brain drain situation, put pressure on currency reserve, increase risk of data sovereignty and national cyber security and increase the cost of automation towards SMART transition.

DCCI president Ashraf Ahmed, CCCI president Omar Hazzaz, CSE chairman Asif Ibrahim, UGC member Md Sazzad Hossain, FBCCI senior vice-president Md Amin Helaly, Policy Exchange Bangladesh chairman M Masrur Reaz, Founder and CEO of Bdjobs Ltd Fahim Mashroor, policy adviser of CRI Imran Ahmed, vice-president of VCPEAB Mohammad Zahirul Islam spoke, among others, on the occasion.

The leaders in the IT industry also have asked for the tax exemption to be extended for three years. They believe keeping this exemption is crucial as removing same will diminish profitability and reduce reinvestment capabilities for IT /ITES companies, resulting in slower industry growth and diminished export potential.​

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/columns/can-the-it-sector-make-it-through-tough-times

Can the IT sector make it through tough times?
AFSAN CHOWDHURY
Published :
May 06, 2024 22:46
Updated :
May 07, 2024 21:31

Global markets are undergoing turbulence and none can say how long they will last or if they will become the way future markets play. The same syndrome applies to Bangladesh as well including the IT sector.

Information technology exports from Bangladesh dropped 4.4 per cent in the first five months -around 225 million dollars- current fiscal year- due to global demand slowdown. But the global reality of the IT sector as the dominant sector remains. In Bangladesh, most experts tend to think in three months or shorter economic cycles but the fact remains that in the global economy the IT sector is the biggest reality and matters more in the long term.

The current state of IT in Bangladesh is beset with problems. Startup funding availability is not great in the short term and European countries are facing a downturn reducing the market size. The fact remains that the global economic future is here even though global outsourcing and hiring is lower this year. Meanwhile, non-European markets are slowly growing and it's inevitable new economies and sources emerge.

Several factors have contributed to Bangladesh's difficulties. It has relied almost entirely on the West that is under pressure due to the Ukraine war and growth of competitive sub-sources affecting Bangladesh as a low end supplier.

The other one is the accepted lack of entrepreneurial spirit inevitable in a crony economy. They look for connections rather than competition-based markets so their innovation index is not high. Thirdly, the sector is yet to have enough skilled hands and the general low focus on skill development has made it worse. While the future is focused on new technology, Bangladeshi companies are looking for a tech duplication of the RMG sector where price is all, not quality.

"Smart Bangladesh", tax exemption and related issues that affect the sector are several. Although the government is pushing for a "Smart Bangladesh", it's still more of a slogan than practical action driven. About Tk 24 billion were allocated last year but no result sheet on impact has been stated.

Smart Bangladesh is supposed to be "Smart Citizen, Smart Society, Smart Government, and Smart Economy. A 'Smart Bangladesh: ICT 2041 Master Plan' has been prepared. It's estimated that there are over 2,500 startups in Bangladesh with approximately at about $1 billion investment. Around 2 million people may be involved directly or indirectly. The government has promised to invest Tk 5.0 billion.

However, a key factor has been tax exemptions for the IT sector which may end this June. Entrepreneurs are demanding its continuation for another seven years. This exemption coming as it does with a weak performing phase is going to be blow to the sector they are saying. That tax exemption played a major role is obvious as the number of players rushing into the sector was high. Low or no tax exemption will ultimately increase the cost of ICT-related products.

"What ails thee BD IT?" is a question many ask. Bangladesh doesn't have a robust foreign investment framework or even an adequate IT infrastructure with a skilled workforce

The IT sector can be a turnaround agent for developing countries like Bangladesh, but it needs such as IT-enabled services (ITES), e-commerce, Artificial Intelligence, outsourcing, and the production of software and hardware. However, the backbone is the business framework.

Bangladesh is aiming to reach the $5 billion export-mark by 2025 and $20 billion by 2031. By 2025, 3.0 million youths will be employed in the country's IT industry. They need a host of missing links in place first.

No one seems keen to face the fact that shortage of highly skilled professionals is a critical hindrance. Insufficient infrastructure, including reliable internet connectivity and power supply are ailments affecting all sectors.

The regulatory frameworks and bureaucratic procedures deter foreign investment and market for all sectors including IT. Cyber threats and data security vulnerabilities are present and on top of that outfits are not keen to use the formal money channels as dollar rates fluctuate and affect all remittance payments. The sector as a whole is also unused to business competition dynamics.

The GOB has focused more on fiscal issues giving a 10 per cent cash incentive to software exports, aiming to stimulate the foreign exchange-earning segment as in the RMG sector. The exemption of all taxes and duties on imported computer hardware and simplified tax-free export earning remittance procedures with 40 per cent retention in foreign currency have made it more attractive.

But a critical missing factor is the connectivity with other countries in the same sector to see how far they can take advantage of subcontracting. The technologically advanced Asian countries are a big source of market but not yet linked to the BD IT sector.

India and China are big players and as their capacity and scale have grown and they are more keen to enter the bigger market segments. Bangladesh can attract small-scale companies overlooked by India and China. Both may also explore the mutually beneficial business opportunities in joint ventures. Meanwhile, providing the three essentials : training, infrastructure and funding are key to becoming a minor but sustainable player in this global sector.

In the final analysis, the state of the IT sector is both an internal production and external market issue. Bangladesh doesn't have the requisite infrastructural ability whether in skills or technical support issues. It's also not in conversation with its major potential players regionally or even globally. It is not yet ready to join as a serious player. It's this lack of readiness and a trifle lack of knowledge on how to be ready that is hurting the capacity of the Bangladesh IT sector, however limited that is. ​

 

[Saif]

Asus launches 6 new laptops in Bangladesh

Asus has recently launched six new laptops in Bangladesh, including the new dual-screen Zenbook DUO (UX8406) model. The other laptops recently released are ZenBook 14 OLED (UX3405), ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA403), ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU605), ROG Strix G16 (G614), and ROG Strix SCAR 18 (G834).

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Asus launches 6 new laptops in Bangladesh

Asus has recently launched six new laptops in Bangladesh, including the new dual-screen Zenbook DUO (UX8406) model. Image: Asus

Asus has recently launched six new laptops in Bangladesh, including the new dual-screen Zenbook DUO (UX8406) model. The other laptops recently released are ZenBook 14 OLED (UX3405), ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA403), ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU605), ROG Strix G16 (G614), and ROG Strix SCAR 18 (G834).

ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406), Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405)

ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406) comes with dual-screen 3K 120 Hz OLED displays, an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, 1.35 kg of weight, and a detachable full-size keyboard, touchpad, and built-in kickstand.

Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405) features an ASUS Lumina OLED touchscreen, an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, a 75 Wh battery, and 1.2 kg of weight.

Zenbook DUO (UX8406) is priced at BDT 2,52,000 and Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405) is priced at BDT 1,60,000.

ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA403), Zephyrus G16 (GU605)

ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA403) and Zephyrus G16 (GU605) are gaming laptops with AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Intel Core Ultra 7 processor respectively, as well as NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 to RTX4070 graphics, ROG Nebula OLED display, and in-built neural processing units (NPU).

ROG Zephyrus G14 (GA403) starts at BDT 2,80,000, and ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU605) is priced at BDT 3,62,000.

ROG Strix G16 (G614), ROG Strix SCAR 18 (G834)

ROG Strix G16 (G614) is another gaming laptop with 14th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics. It also has a 16-inch display.

ROG Strix SCAR 18 (G834) is a high-end gaming laptop with 14th Gen Intel Core i9 processor, GeForce RTX 4090 graphics, 240 Hz 18-inch display, and advanced cooling technology for sustained performance.

ROG Strix G16 (G614) is priced at BDT 2,56,000 and ROG Strix SCAR 18 (G834) is priced at BDT 5,60,000.

According to Asus, these laptops are now available for purchase across authorised ASUS retailers in Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh saw three internet shutdowns last year: report

Bangladesh saw three internet shutdowns last year, and all of those were executed to crack down on dissent, according to Access Now, an organisation advocating for digital civil rights

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Bangladesh saw three internet shutdowns last year: report

Bangladesh saw three internet shutdowns last year, and all of those were executed to crack down on dissent, according to Access Now, an organisation advocating for digital civil rights.

The organisation said this in their latest report, titled "Shrinking Democracy, Growing Violence", which was published on its website today. It said globally internet shutdowns have been used by authorities as a tool to enable and exacerbate violence.

India topped the list with 116 internet shutdowns last year.

"Governments continued to shut down the internet and critical digital communication platforms to muzzle expression, block access to life-saving information, and cover up heinous crimes against humanity," said the report.

It said governments intentionally disrupted internet access to coincide with important national events such as protests and political instability, elections etc with one aim -- to restrict the flow of information and control the narrative.

"Despite the fact that these shutdowns flagrantly violate human rights enshrined in national, regional, and international frameworks, governments deliberately imposed shutdown to advance their own political interests -- harming people and communities and endangering lives," it added.

Bangladesh has experienced shutdowns in five or more consecutive years since 2016, found the report.​

 

[Saif]

Homegrown apps fail to take off

While it is not an uncommon sight to see people typing messages in Bangla on their smartphones, the familiar colours and user interface make it obvious that they are not using communication apps belonging to local companies.

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Homegrown apps fail to take off

While it is not an uncommon sight to see people typing messages in Bangla on their smartphones, the familiar colours and user interface make it obvious that they are not using communication apps belonging to local companies.

While mobile financial service providers and nearly all banks have gained traction in digital services in Bangladesh, the same cannot be said of communications apps built by the government or private entities.

In early 2020, a homegrown mobile application with capability to send messages and make voice calls was launched in Bangladesh. At the inauguration ceremony of the app, named 'Kotha', Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT, said it would be Bangladesh's Facebook, PayPal, Netflix, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

But now, almost none remembers the app. Although Kotha has good ratings on Google's Play Store, it has less than 2 lakh downloads.

However, Mahboob Zaman, chairman of Kotha Technologies, said the growth of the app is somewhat steady given their strategy. "We were trying to do organic marketing. Besides, research and development requires huge investment. We are trying to find an investor."

So far, the app has 4 lakh registered users, according to the company.

Sumon Ahmed Sabir, a technology expert, said copying something that has numerous versions, which local apps tend to do, is unlikely to lead to popularity. "Popular apps come with diversity, flexibility, efficiency and global expectancy that cannot be replicated."

"Besides, local apps cannot compete with these platforms due to the scale of their research and investment. Once a sector is monopolistic, it's not easy to break."

The government has also taken the initiative making communication apps at the cost of hundreds of crores, but all of them failed to attract audiences.

The government-funded app 'Baithak', a video-conferencing platform enabling virtual meetings and webinars similar to Zoom, was designed for government officials, but got very little response.

'Alapon', a Viber-like app developed by the government's ICT Division with the aim to streamline messaging and file exchange processes for government officials, was launched in 2016. Eight years later, the app no longer exists.

"Privacy is definitely a concern, if not a major one," Sabir added.

Meanwhile, the use of social media platforms and communication apps in Bangladesh developed by the global tech giants boomed in the past decade and made it one of the largest markets for them in terms of audiences. The top communication apps in terms of users are WhatsApp, Messenger, and Imo.

Facebook has a huge chunk of the audience, with nearly 53 million users in the country, which places Bangladesh among the top 10 Facebook-crazed nations as of January 2024, according to Statista, a German online platform that specialises in data gathering and visualisation.

Facebook also offers Messenger, integrating it as a standalone app for messaging, voice calls, and video chats.

There were more than 6.3 crore Facebook users in Bangladesh in February 2024 that has a population of about 17 crore, according to management and analytics platform NapoleonCat. It put the number of Messenger users at 5.7 crore.

When asked how many people in Bangladesh use WhatsApp, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger, said it is unable to share the country-specific data.

Imo is also popular in rural Bangladesh due to low data usage, simplicity, and free voice and video calls. In 2023, a staggering 4 million new users from the country were integrated into Imo's network, the company said.

That took its monthly users in Bangladesh to 50 million, accounting for a quarter of its 200 million total users. Imo users in the country made 91.6 billion audio and video calls in 2023, among which 35.8 billion calls were international.

Bangladeshi users also made 676 million group calls last year through the app. The top five destinations for international calls were Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Malaysia, and Qatar.​

 

[Saif]

Women still lag in mobile ownership, internet adoption

Women in Bangladesh are lagging behind men in both mobile ownership and mobile internet adoption, with gender gaps of 20 percent and 40 percent respectively, representing a significant disparity in digital access, according to a global report.

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Women still lag in mobile ownership, internet adoption

In Bangladesh, mobile internet adoption rates are 40 percent for men and only 24 percent for women, according to Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024 by the GSMA. The photo was taken at Khulna city recently. Photo: Habibur Rahman

Women in Bangladesh are lagging behind men in both mobile ownership and mobile internet adoption, with gender gaps of 20 percent and 40 percent respectively, representing a significant disparity in digital access, according to a global report.

In Bangladesh, 85 percent of adult males own a mobile phone, compared to 68 percent of adult females.

Meanwhile, mobile internet adoption rates are 40 percent for men and only 24 percent for women, according to Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024 by the GSMA, which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide.

For those who are already aware of mobile internet, the top-reported barriers to adopting it are affordability (primarily of handsets) and literacy and digital skills, it said.

Millions more women than men face these barriers because they are offline. Women also tend to experience these barriers more acutely due to social norms and structural inequalities, such as lower education and income, according to the report.

The findings of the report are based on the results of an annual GSMA Consumer Survey carried out last year, which had more than 13,600 respondents from 12 low and middle-income countries.

In 10 of the 12 countries surveyed for this report, women who use the internet are more likely than men to access it exclusively on a mobile phone.

For example, in Bangladesh, 74 percent of female internet users access it exclusively via mobile, compared to 66 percent of male users.

In most survey countries, women who use mobile internet are more likely than men to report that they would like to use it more than they currently do.

This was true for more than half of female mobile internet users in Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

According to the survey, Bangladesh has the highest gender gap in mobile internet adoption among Asian countries at 40 percent.

In comparison, the gap is 30 percent in India, 38 percent in Pakistan, and 8 percent in Indonesia.

Although the gender gap in mobile phone ownership and internet usage in Bangladesh has slightly decreased, it remains substantial.

Gender gaps in smartphone ownership also vary across survey countries and are widest in Pakistan (49 percent), Bangladesh (43 percent) and Nigeria (38 percent).

Women in Bangladesh are also falling behind in smartphone ownership. While 40 percent of men own a smartphone, only 22 percent of women have one.

Fahim Mashroor, former president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), said most women in the country still rely on men for financial support.

"Typically, if there is a smartphone or laptop in the house, it is mainly controlled by male members. Additionally, parents sometimes restrict girls from using devices or the internet due to social reasons in the still very male-dominated society," he added.

Against this backdrop, he said widespread adoption of the internet by women will remain difficult unless their financial independence is ensured.

Still, women in Bangladesh have seen the strongest growth in mobile internet awareness since 2022, from 64 percent to 74 percent.

For the first time since the GSMA started tracking it, women's awareness in Bangladesh is close to that of men (76 percent), highlighting the progress that has been made.

The report said once women start to use mobile internet, they tend to use it less frequently than men and for a narrower range of services.

At the same time, in most of the survey countries, female mobile internet users are more likely than men to report that they would like to use mobile internet more than they currently do.

This was especially the case for more than half of female mobile internet users in Kenya, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ethiopia.

Affordability is another top barrier to further mobile internet use for both male and female mobile internet users in survey countries.

In most countries, affordability of data is more of a barrier than the affordability of handsets.

Data costs are a particular issue for mobile internet users in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Bangladesh, where it is the top individual barrier to further use for both men and women.

For example, in Bangladesh, 24 percent of women and 15 percent of men who use mobile internet reported data costs as their top barrier to further use.

Overall, women's rate of mobile internet adoption increased over the past year.

There are now more women using mobile internet in low and middle-income countries than ever before: 66 percent.

By comparison, 78 percent of men now use mobile internet, but their rate of adoption slowed in 2023.

The gender gap in mobile internet adoption across low and middle-income countries has narrowed for the first time since 2020 due to women adopting it at a faster rate than men.

This reduction was driven primarily by South Asia and brings the overall mobile internet gender gap back to where it was in 2020.

This gender gap also narrowed slightly in Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in five years, the report said.​

 

[Saif]

Tax holiday for ICT sector likely to continue: Salman F Rahman

The tax holiday facility in the ICT sector of the country will remain in force this year as well, said Salman F Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister. “I had an opportunity to talk to the Prime Minister about the issue of tax exemption. The Prime Minister assu

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Tax holiday for ICT sector likely to continue: Salman F Rahman
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
May 21, 2024 20:59
Updated :
May 21, 2024 20:59

The tax holiday facility in the ICT sector of the country will remain in force this year as well, said Salman F Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister.

"I had an opportunity to talk to the Prime Minister about the issue of tax exemption. The Prime Minister assured to consider the proposal in view of the request to impose taxes consistently and rationally in different periods. This time the budget will inform how long the tax exemption can be", he said while speaking as the chief guest at an event held at the Hotel Radisson Blu in the capital where the newly elected Executive Council (2024-2026) of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) took oath.

"You have to be vocal about what kind of policy support is needed for the domestic ICT sector to keep pace with the pace at which the world's technology is advancing. While tax exemptions are important, what kind of policy do you need for the next level?

AI, block chain, big data need to be looked at because programmers will lose the most jobs in the future. So now they have to train to the next level. The government should be guided in this matter from the BASIS", he added.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

AI starts to replace entry-level IT jobs in Bangladesh

It was a pretty good project for SkyTech Solutions for the last few years: generating earnings of $8.5 per hour for each of over 50 people.

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AI starts to replace entry-level IT jobs in Bangladesh

It was a pretty good project for SkyTech Solutions for the last few years: generating earnings of $8.5 per hour for each of over 50 people.

The task was to process the invoice of Uber Freight services and upload the information into customer relationship management, a system that manages customer interactions, enhances satisfaction, and streamlines business processes.

But late last year, artificial intelligence (AI) knocked out more than 80 percent of the jobs in the project in a single blow.

"They informed us that the primary task will be handled by AI automation, leaving only quality control to be performed by humans," said self-made entrepreneur Musnad E Ahmed, founder of SkyTech, a leading business process outsourcing (BPO) company in Bangladesh.

Consequently, the number of employees has decreased from 55 to 10, he said.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh’s reputation as a freelancing powerhouse is on the line

The most important issue with our online labour force is skill gap.

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Bangladesh's reputation as a freelancing powerhouse is on the line

VISUAL: ZARIF FAIAZ

Bangladesh has almost always been hailed as a top player in the global freelancing market, and rightfully so as evident from the numerous recognitions the country has earned over the years.

In 2017, according to a study by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), Bangladesh ranked the second most popular country for supplying online labour. Forbes, in 2019, listed Bangladesh as one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of income from freelancing.

Our ICT Division estimates the local freelancing sector to be worth nearly $1 billion. According to the "Digital Economy Report-2019" by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Bangladesh is emerging as a significant player in the global freelancing market, with around 650,000 freelancers contributing over $100 million in annual foreign remittances. And just last year, Payoneer ranked Bangladesh eighth amongst the top 10 freelancing countries in the world.

All these data and statistics paint a very optimistic and inspiring picture of the country's freelancing scene. However, given the nature of this profession and the lucrative opportunities it provides, the freelance market is becoming saturated, which would have been somewhat manageable had we the right skills and mindset. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This situation, if it worsens, might slowly impact the country's reputation as a global freelancing powerhouse.

Let us start with the way freelancing is marketed to our common populace. Across Bangladesh, you will find numerous organisations offering skill development and freelancing training. For a certain fee, these organisations promise to turn you into freelancing experts. And to lure you into joining these institutions as students or trainees, they will tell you about the two most lucrative aspects of freelancing—earning from the comfort of your home and earning in foreign currencies.

Every now and then, you will see news articles or social media posts about young men and women from far-flung regions of Bangladesh making four or five times more money than the country's average monthly income through freelancing. These stories are packaged and fed to aspiring freelancers to "motivate" them. This, coupled with the fact that Bangladesh still has an unemployment problem, makes for a very convincing case in support of freelancing to those looking for job opportunities.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Meta removes pages linked to Awami League for "inauthentic behaviour"

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced the removal of numerous accounts and pages linked to Bangladesh's ruling Awami League, citing violations of its policy against "coordinated inauthentic behaviour".

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Meta removes pages linked to Awami League for "inauthentic behaviour"

Meta shuts down Bangladeshi political networks for 'coordinated inauthentic behaviour'. Image: Tech & Startup

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced the removal of numerous accounts and pages linked to Bangladesh's ruling Awami League, citing violations of its policy against "coordinated inauthentic behaviour". This action was detailed in Meta's Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report for Q1 2024.

The company removed 50 Facebook accounts and 98 pages originating from Bangladesh. These accounts and pages were found to be targeting domestic audiences using fake identities to post content and manage pages. Some of these pages posed as fictitious news entities, while others used the names of existing news organisations in Bangladesh. A few pages used the name of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and posted content critical of the BNP.

Meta's investigation uncovered that this network had a presence on multiple platforms, including YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Telegram, and their own websites. The network primarily posted content in Bengali, with some posts in English. The content included news and current events in Bangladesh, criticism of the BNP, allegations of BNP corruption and involvement in pre-election violence, as well as supportive commentary about the incumbent government and the ruling party.

The accounts and pages collectively had about 3.4 million followers. Meta reported an ad spend of approximately $60, paid mostly in Bangladeshi takas.​

 

[Saif]

বাংলাদেশের ডিজিটাল দুনিয়ায় নিরবে বিপ্লব। আসছে বড় বিনিয়োগ।

 

[Saif]

Meta to deal directly with advertisers in Bangladesh

The development has created panic among businesses as they apprehend difficulties in ensuring compliance with VAT and tax regulations when advertising directly with Meta.

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Meta to deal directly with advertisers in Bangladesh

Meta logo is seen near computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, plans to stop availing services of Httpool, its authorised sales partner in Bangladesh, from July and shift to a model where it will interact directly with advertisers.

"Meta has recently made the decision to standardise their advertiser service model worldwide," Aloke Panikar, regional director for Asia-Pacific at Aleph, the parent company of Httpool, said in a letter to advertisers in Bangladesh recently.

"…and in markets previously covered by an authorised sales partner, Meta will begin working with advertisers directly starting from July 1, 2024," the letter read.

"This means that Aleph will no longer be Meta's authorised sales partner."

The development has created panic among businesses as they apprehend difficulties in ensuring compliance with VAT and tax regulations when advertising directly with Meta.

"As a compliant company, we are worried," Fahim Mashroor, CEO of online job portal bdjobs.com, said.

"Advertising on Facebook with Httpool was easy as they took care of VAT and tax issues and we could pay in taka. Now, how Facebook will handle this remains unknown," he said.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

R&D a prerequisite to developing the software sector

The goal of transforming the country into a software powerhouse remains as elusive as ever, even though successive governments have emphasised the issue. The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) raised the issue again on the opening day of Basis SoftExpo 2023 late las

www.thefinancialexpress.com.bd

R&D a prerequisite to developing the software sector
Published: February 25, 2023 22:55:30

The goal of transforming the country into a software powerhouse remains as elusive as ever, even though successive governments have emphasised the issue. The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) raised the issue again on the opening day of Basis SoftExpo 2023 late last week and suggested that the ICT industry, academia and government devise a mechanism where the much-needed research and development (R&D) could be done. Such a move also needs to be supplemented by efforts to develop a qualified workforce for the software industry. Putting an efficient R&D network is imperative because the global software industry is fiercely competitive, where countries like India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Poland, Estonia and Ukraine are all vying for a share of the same pie.

The domestic software industry has been growing with government policy support, but much more needs to be done. One of the industry's Achilles Heels remains its lukewarm acceptance in the domestic market. Local companies are still facing an uphill task while selling their software to consumers at the corporate level. While smaller companies are slowly transitioning to a customised application made for their operations - whether it is payroll or inventory management, the prized contracts from the big conglomerates remain largely outside the purview of Bangladeshi software developers. The target is to raise the country's IT exports to US$5 billion by 2025 and $20 billion by 2030. But with the current state of affairs in the sector, it is doubtful the country would be able to go near the targets. Getting stakeholders like academia and software developers to collaborate with the relevant ministry is one part of that equation. But what will be the subjects of research? Data? That will not be easy. As far as big data is concerned, only the government can access that data: the NID database, credit information, and national household and health surveys, to name but a few.

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[Saif]

ICT sector hails extension of tax exemption

Extending the tax exemption until 2031 would better support Bangladesh's goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country and enhance the IT sector's capacity in domestic and global markets

www.thedailystar.net

ICT sector hails extension of tax exemption

Extending the tax exemption until 2031 would better support Bangladesh's goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country and enhance the IT sector's capacity in domestic and global markets

On behalf of the ICT sector, I thank honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for extending the tax exemption on the ICT sector by three years, aligning with BASIS's proposal for a Smart Bangladesh. I also thank the NBR for recognising the ICT sector's crucial role.

However, we believe extending it until 2031 would better support Bangladesh's goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country and enhance the IT sector's capacity in domestic and global markets.

Impact of Tax Exemption on Other Sectors

This tax exemption will significantly boost the IT sector and play a pivotal role as this sector can be the nucleus for building a Smart Bangladesh across education, healthcare, agriculture, banking, and manufacturing sectors.

These sectors are integral to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Without it, development would be disrupted, hindering the prime minister's vision of a Smart Bangladesh by 2041. This initiative revives BASIS's efforts toward self-sufficiency in software and IT services.

BASIS Advocacy for Extension in Pre-Budget Discussions

During the pre-budget discussion with the honorable Prime Minister at the Gonobhaban on May 25, I emphasised the importance of extending the tax exemption for the IT sector.

BASIS also met with key figures, including State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Kazi Nabil Ahmed to address this matter.

Future Goal: Bangladesh's Self-Sufficiency in ICT

Our future goal should be self-sufficiency in information technology. This budget sets the path to achieving it. Prioritising the domestic IT sector in government procurement is essential, and foreign institutions should partner with domestic ones if capacity is lacking for participating in the government tender.

As Bangladesh is set to become a developing country in 2026, we will face challenges. Establishing a recognised system of intellectual property valuation will help convert these challenges into opportunities, attracting foreign investment and enabling entrepreneurs to secure loans and investments from domestic banks.

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[Saif]

How can the women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh be well-equipped in the IT sector?

Committed to being 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041, rampant in every sphere of the country's operation is being redacted, ultimately leading the country to enjoy economic freedom and phylogenetic transcendence. In the era of globalization, the touch of information technology (IT) has highly practicable

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

How can the women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh be well-equipped in the IT sector?
TANJIM HASAN PATWARY
Published :
Jun 05, 2024 16:01
Updated :
Jun 05, 2024 16:01

Committed to being 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041, rampant in every sphere of the country's operation is being redacted, ultimately leading the country to enjoy economic freedom and phylogenetic transcendence.

In the era of globalization, the touch of information technology (IT) has highly practicable implications, ranging from personal life to national or cross-cultural applications, for necessity or to compete in the competitive world.

Women of Bangladesh engage themselves in all sorts of work, and acclimatization to AI is becoming critical, especially while doing business regarding women's entrepreneurship.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), in 2019-20 FY, the number of registered wholesale and retail businesses was more than 2.5 million, with more than 10 million male and almost 200 thousand female entrepreneurs.

Though the number is comparatively lower than that of male entrepreneurs, the percentage is in the upward position, and it increased to 829 per cent, compared with 2002-03 FY.

According to the Time Use Survey (TUS)—2021 report conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UN Women Bangladesh, 21.25 per cent of internet users were women, compared to 35.15 percent for men.

Though the survey reports regarding women are somewhat disappointing, the upward trend of women's engagement with trade is gradually increasing.

A friendly business environment for both men and women requires comprehending the portfolio of ventures and stretching to enhance profitability.

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