Software, ITES export rises by 32pc in 2009

Five-day SoftExpo in city from Feb 10
The export volume of software and information technology-enabled services increased by 32.17 per cent last year with a sale worth some $ 32.91 million in 2008-09, while the industry has fixed a target for $ 38 million in 2009-10 fiscal.
‘Bangladesh earned $ 24.9 million from export of software and ITES in 2007-08 fiscal and $ 32.91 million in the last fiscal year, $ 5.91 million more than the previous year. Software and ITES export was worth a paltry $ 1.2 million in 2001,’ BASIS president Habibullah N Karim told a press conference at a city hotel announcing the schedule for annual software exhibition.
Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services, the lone organisation to promote the country’s software industry, is organising the five-day software exposition titled SoftExpo-2010.
The exhibition will be kicked off on Wednesday at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city’s Agargaon with the theme ‘Digital Bangladesh in Action.’
Habibullah N Karim said the volume of software and ITES would increase up to 40 per cent during the current financial year.
The BASIS president said the ICT event is expected to put up a large display of software and IT-enabled services.
Currently, Bangladesh has more than 20,000 IT professionals engaged with over 500 software and ITES companies.
SoftExpo-2010 is envisaged to create a platform for showcasing the untold potentials of the industry by synchronizing all sorts of software resources and skills available in Bangladesh, the press conference was told.
REVE Systems chief executive officer Rezaul Hasan said the fair would present the country’s ICT market potentials to local and international players, service providers, investors, development agencies, policymakers and associations.
‘The event will create a wide scope for interaction among software providers, buyers, IT users, professionals, media, policy makers, development partners, students and the society people,’ he said.
Hasan called upon the media people to highlight the country’s ICT market potentials to local and international investors for attracting investment to the sector.
About 150 local and international firms, including some from countries like Japan, Denmark, UK and the USA, are expected to participate in the exposition, creating scope for establishing contacts among themselves.
The entry fee of the exhibition has been fixed Tk 20 while it will be free for the students.
The fair will remain open for public from 10a to 8pm till February 14.

Courtesy of NewAgebd