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Bangladesh has decided to shut down its information communication technology (ICT) business promotional centre in Silicon Valley, California after failing to achieve desired outcomes from it in the last two-and-a-half-year.
"We have decided to suspend activities of the centre from this December as it could hardly provide any tangible outcome in promoting country's ICT business in the US market," confirmed a high official of the commerce ministry.
The government spent more than US$ 1.0 million since 2003 to run the centre in heart of the US digital hub. The aim of this investment was to earn at least $ 100 million annually through using the centre but it could only attain one-fourth of the annual target in more than two years.
Sources attributed the failure to the wrong decision in selecting the Silicon Valley as a site for showcasing local software products.
The policymakers selected a place that is mostly suitable for hardware products display and sale, they claimed.
"Silicon Valley is suitable for hardware business," American Association of Bangladesh Engineers and Architects (AABEA) ex-president Ibrahim was quoted to have said to a commerce ministry official.
The official visited the Silicon Valley last month to review the project as the Business Promotion Council (BPC) coordinator and learnt that location of the centre was one of the factors behind its failure.
"The centre should have been established in Washington DC or New Jersey where the service sector is dominant," added the AABEA ex-president.
The centre was initiated following the advice by the World Bank in 2003. The donor agency provided financial support till June 2004. Since then, the financial responsibility has been borne by the commerce ministry.
Bangladesh Association of Software Information Service (BASIS) president Sarwar Alam told the FE that business promotion, especially software export to the US market, would not face problem due to closure of the centre.
"Because the centre has failed to deliver expected results," he said.
Alam added that his association had already submitted a proposal to shift the centre to the East Coast from the West Coast so that the centre could be re-launched after required restructuring.
According to the review report of the BPC coordinator, sudden and complete pull out from the US market should be avoided.
"The experience gathered through the centre and information database would be lost in that case," said the report.
Many criticised the attitude of Bangladeshi companies, the report added.
"They (software firms) were not positive," said a former director of the centre, adding that most of the company experts had little knowledge on current US market demand.
"The skill of Bangladeshi professionals was good to deliver only a part of any complete job, not the whole job," he added.
A total of 27 local software development firms signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the centre's promotional council to share the facilities of the Silicon Valley office for marketing and promotion.
The companies signing MoUs include Daffodil Group Ltd., Ciproco Computers Ltd., TechnoVista Limited, Technohaven Company Ltd, Spectrum Engineering Consortium Ltd., DNS Software Ltd, Datasoft Systems Bangladesh Ltd, Leads Corporation, Global Brand Pvt. Ltd., Mac Systems, Tech Valley Computers Ltd., Star Computer Systems Ltd., TriGem Computers, Dhrubo Ltd, Computer Plus Ltd, Information Services Network Ltd, Flora Ltd, E-Craft, Bhuiya Cybernet, Infotech Ltd, Dohatec Ltd, Neural Systems, The Computers Ltd, IBCS Primax Ltd, CNS Ltd, Fornix-Soft Ltd and Nelcosoft Bangladesh Ltd.
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