News Details

Canada-Bangla-GP pact to flourish country’s IT business


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Canada-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CanCham Bangladesh) and Grameenphone IT Ltd Tuesday signed a strategic partnership agreement with a vision of flourishing country's IT business at both home and abroad.

Masud Rahman, president of CanCham Bangladesh and Raihan Shamsi, CEO of GPIT signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations at a city hotel.

Canadian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Heather Cruden was present at the signing ceremony. The major objective of the agreement is to create awareness for the Bangladeshi IT Companies to build new capabilities and generate new business at home and abroad especially in the North American markets, officials said.

According to the agreement, both the parties will arrange seminars and workshops to facilitate IT business, may send delegation to North American countries from Bangladesh to explore business opportunities.

They will also arrange training programme for the representatives of different stakeholders and undertake researches in the relevant fields.

The officials said that the North America (USA and Canada) and Bangladesh have a bright future for business collaboration, particularly in respect of information technology. IT is widely expected to be the second largest exporting sector for Bangladesh by 2021, they added.

Mr Rahman, CanCham president, said the agreement would try to empower each other to create and promote trade and investment, and undertake research initiatives, strengthening economic and cultural opportunities between Bangladesh and North America.

Bangladesh, which is currently exporting software to 30 countries including Europe, America, Canada, Japan, Australia and South Asia, has earned US$ about 31 million in 2009-10 and US$ 27 million in 2010-11 by exporting software. He hoped that the agreement would usher a new era in the outsourcing sector of Bangladesh that already positioned itself as a key location for consideration by enhancing delivery capability and skill availability, lower costs of operations and making focused investment in telecom and IT infrastructure.

Mr Rahman stressed on need for government's budgetary incentives such tax exemptions and duty cuts to attract more local and foreign investments in the IT and outsourcing sector of the country.

[ Stock & Corporate ] 2012-06-13