Sweden-Bangladesh collaboration sought by BASIS President

Sweden-Bangladesh collaboration in the domain of ICT sector can benefit both countries, tapping the cost competitiveness of Bangladesh’s human resources. The statement came from a meeting between Alexandra Berg von Linde, Ambassador of Sweden and Russell T Ahmed, President of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) on Monday, April 25, 2022, at Embassy of Sweden, Dhaka.

The Ambassador appreciated the progress of Bangladesh ICT industry observed in the last few years at the frontier technologies and suggested promoting its success stories abroad. She also wished that the collaboration between private sectors of both countries in the domain of ICT sector will secure the mutual interests of both countries.

BASIS President Russell T Ahmed highlighted to exchange delegation between the two countries and invited suitable counterparts from Sweden to join the SoftExpo 2022 for experiencing in person, how Bangladesh has transformed itself into a frontier technology-leading country. He added, “We will work together and explore potential Bangladesh-Sweden Collaboration to promote Bangladesh ICT industry to Sweden and Nordic countries.”

During the meeting, Russell T Ahmed said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared ICT as “The Product of the Year” for 2022. Thus ICT industry promotion in international forums is very important to highlight the readiness of our local companies. He also added that, present Executive Council of BASIS has started working to excel the ICT industry further focusing on seven pillars- 1. HR capacity building, 2. Developing local market scenario, 3. Increasing export volume, 4. Creating a thriving ecosystem for startups, 5. Industry Promotion, 6. Access to Finance and 7. Formulating policies to help grow intangible assets.

Ambassador of Sweden, Alexandra Berg von Linde echoed to rebrand and redefine Bangladesh’s ICT sector in her country for exploring the Swedish interests here further. She hoped that ICT entrepreneurs of Sweden may find it interesting to join BASIS SoftExpo 2022.

The meeting was also attended by Anna Svantesson, First Secretary, Political & Commercial Affairs, Embassy of Sweden, Syed Mohammad Kamal, Director, BASIS; and Enamul Hafiz Latifee, Joint Secretary (Research Fellow), BASIS.