The government considers setting up information and technology (IT) parks (hi-tech parks), IT villages and software technology parks in the country’s special economic zones (SEZs), officials have said. “We are going to take an initiative to build hi-tech parks/IT villages/STPs in the country’s propaold the FE. Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) will jointly implement the decision taken by the PMO in a recent review meeting. Besides, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is likely to be signed between the two state-owned authorities, he added. The government has already declared ‘Vision 2021’ with an aim to turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country by using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and ensuring business environment for innovative companies, BHTPA and BEZA officials said. It has taken various steps to achieve the targets including congenial business environment for hi-tech industries. So, setting up of IT parks/IT villages/STPs at divisional level will be one of the important and priority projects, they said, adding that it would be a milestone in development of IT sector as well as industrialisation in the country. Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park is the first state-level hi-tech park initiated by the government. Bureau of Research, Testing and Consultation (BRTC), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) was entrusted with the task of conducting a study for establishing a hi-tech park in Bangladesh. Besides, some hi-tech parks will be built in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Sylhet and the government has initiated to build a software technology park in Jessore. “We are working on signing a MoU in a bid to establish IT related parks in some prospective SEZs across the country,” Syed Amdadul Huq, Director (Admin & Finance), BHTPA, told the FE on Saturday. “Presently, a good number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are being implemented in the country. The government is getting significant responses from domestic and foreign investors to EZ-development plans,” a BEZA high official said.
