The Embassy of Nepal in Dhaka welcomed senior IT professionals, business leaders, academicians, policymakers, and investors in the tech community of Bangladesh and Nepal for the “Strengthening Nepal-Bangladesh Bilateral Tech Relations” event on Thursday .
The event aimed to create a platform for meaningful collaboration and knowledge exchange to explore potential synergies and coordination between the two countries in the information technology (IT) field.
The event provided a forum to explore mutual growth opportunities through enhanced tech cooperation among key stakeholders from the private and public sectors of both nations. Insightful keynote speeches and panel discussions by industry leaders added depth to explore collaborative potential.
In his welcome speech, the Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh, Ghanshyam Bhandari, said that Nepal's booming IT sector was generating numerous career opportunities, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and contributing to the overall economic growth of the country. The development of the sector is driving innovation and digital transformation across various areas, such as healthcare, education, tourism, and finance.
Ambassador Bhandari quoted a recent study conducted by Kathmandu-based IIDS that valued
IT service export industry in Nepal at approximately 515 million USD in 2022, representing an outstanding growth of 64.2% compared to 2021.
“It is heartening to see that Nepal-Bangladesh partnership in the field of technology has been growing steadily. For instance, Pathao, a ride-hailing platform that began its journey in Bangladesh, has changed how people commute in Kathmandu after its launch in 2018,” said Ambassador Bhandari. “IT companies like Genese Solution have been offering enterprise solutions to business houses in Bangladesh. Lately, there has been an increasing interest of investors and entrepreneurs from Bangladesh to explore new avenues in this area,” he added.
Addressing the event as Chief Guest, Secretary at the Department of ICT in the Bangladesh Government, Md. Shamshul Arefin said that Nepal and Bangla have the unique opportunity to enhance cooperation in the IT sector.
He said both countries enjoy excellent bilateral relationships and should explore avenues of partnership and knowledge exchange. Nepal’s burgeoning IT sector and Bangladesh’s innovative strides have prepared a fertile ground for collaboration that can yield mutually beneficial outcomes.
President of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Russell T Ahmed, said that Bangladesh earned USD 30 million by exporting ICT services in 2009 when the Digital Bangladesh programme was announced. Today, Bangladesh earns over US 1.5 billion every year by exporting ICT services, he added. Stating that Bangladeshi companies now produce complete core banking solutions, Mr Ahmed said there was much room for collaboration between Nepal and Bangladesh.
Anjani Phuyal, founder and Global CTO of Genese Solution, a UK-based digital solution company, in his keynote presentation, underscored the immense potential of Nepal’s IT service export industry that contributed to 1.4 percent of the country’s GDP and 5.5 percent of the foreign currency reserve in the last year, as per a recent study. The industry was valued at USD 308 million in 2020, which rose to over USD 515 million in 2022.
General Secretary of Nepal Association for Software and IT Services Companies (NAS-IT), Nirdesh Dwa, remarked that Nepali companies are getting more international exposure now. “There are cross-border opportunities for Nepali and Bangladeshi companies. We can learn from high-tech parks in Bangladesh and encourage collaboration between the private sector and academia,” he added.
The event was organized by the Embassy of Nepal in Dhaka in collaboration with NAS-IT and Genese Solution.
