Syed Farhad Ahmed is one of the top names in Bangladeshi business. He is the Managing Director of aamra Group of Companies (previously known as Texas Group). aamra Companies is one of the top corporate houses in Bangladesh . It has 14 companies. Mr. Ahmed has over two decades of experience with him and he has been involved in the Textiles & Apparel, Banking and Information Technology, and Lifestyle services sectors. Syed Farhad Ahmed is always keen on promoting Bangladesh to other countries and he is the past President of France Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Syed Farhad Ahmed and other aamra Group members have been actively involved in various capacities, with Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS), BASIS, ISPAB and BGMEA. He is also a passionate fan of cricket and he was an Executive Committee Member & Vice Chairman, Media & Communications Committee and Member Secretary, Commercial Committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
I was lucky enough to catch Syed Farhad Ahmed in his office the other day. I took an interview of him for Computer Bichitra (an IT magazine of Bangladesh ) and SouthAsiaBiz. Excerpts from the interview for SouthAsiaBiz readers:
Razib Ahmed: At this moment, we hear a lot about ITES. Please tell us a bit about ITES.
Syed Farhad Ahmed: ITES or IT Enabled Services is something that Bangladesh has a lot of potential. In fact, I think it is now a turning point for Bangladesh in the development of IT Enabled Services.
You know that India is the market leader in ITES and they have been leading in the market for the last 10/15 years. However, a significant change is taking place at this moment that can benefit Bangladesh . If you notice then you will easily understand that the expense of lifestyle and salary of IT professionals have increased a lot in the last few years in India . For example, the expectations of an IIT graduate is to get a salary of Rs. 100,000. Only two years ago, $2000 was equal to Rs.100,000. However, Rupee has appreciated against US Dollars nearly 25% in the last 2 years. As a result, we can see that while two years ago a foreign company needed to pay $2000 salary to a IT profession, now, they have to pay around $2700-$2800 to the same IT professional because of the drastic appreciation of Rupee against Dollar.
There is another major problem for India and it is that there is a shortage of skilled IT professionals in the IT field. This is more acute in the lower end of the spectrum. Many Indian IT professionals want to develop themselves and want to get high paid jobs. These issues have created a huge new opportunity for Bangladesh to do something in the ITES sector, especially in the basic ITES space. We have to react fast to make the best out of this opportunity, as the window of opportunity does not necessarily remain open forever.
Syed Farhad Ahmed: In order to get maximum success in ITES, we have to focus on developing skilled human resources. We also have to initially focus on basic IT services. Some Bangladeshi companies are already working to deliver basic IT services as exports. They are working on data entry, website and graphic design and development, animation, structural design engineering, financial services etc.
Traditionally, Bangladeshi IT professionals are very hard working and quick learners. If we can provide the right training platforms for them, then they will shine in ITES sector very quickly.
Razib Ahmed: What are the steps that Bangladesh government can take for the development of ITES in Bangladesh ?
Syed Farhad Ahmed: Bangladesh government can do a lot in this regard. The government should build partnerships with the private sector and together we can ensure the development of skilled human resources for the ITES sector.
The second thing that the government can do is to ensure participation of Bangladesh in IT EXPOs and other kinds of events in home and abroad. Many people outside of Bangladesh do not know that Bangladesh is such a beautiful and productive country. The government of Bangladesh can play a very important role in specifically promoting the positive aspects of the country, keeping ITES as a focus. Unfortunately, most of the time, we can find just negative news items in international media about Bangladesh . So, we have to focus on country branding and image building for our nation, and the government should take the leading role for this along with the private sector.
Razib Ahmed: We all know that Bangladesh has a lot of limitations? Keeping the limitations in mind, which field of ITES we should aim for?
Syed Farhad Ahmed: I am happy to inform you that the major limitation of Bangladesh had been removed recently. One of our biggest limitations was in communication. This limitation has been overcome with the arrival of submarine cable through which Bangladesh is now connected to the outside world. The second problem is the availability of skilled manpower. However, I feel that if we become sincere and if we give our best effort then within a very short term we can train and enough people for ITES. I have already said that the government has to come forward and become a partner with the private sector in this regard. We must attract world renowned IT Educational institutions to set up training centres here.
Razib Ahmed: We have noticed that the government has not yet clearly outlined what kind of facilities it is going to provide for the ITES sector. For example, in NBR SRO, software sector has been kept out of income tax but nothing is mentioned about ITES.
Syed Farhad Ahmed: We are discussing with the government about this matter. We have been talking with the government about how to transform Bangladesh into an attractive outsourcing destination. I feel that the relevant government departments are sincere about helping this ITES sector develp, and it will just take some time. I believe that a more detailed specific policy from the government about ITES will come very soon.
Razib Ahmed: What kind of initiatives are you going to take from aamra Group about ITES?
Syed Farhad Ahmed: aamra Companies started its journey 22 years ago. We have now 14 companies and five of them are directly related to ICT sector. We have taken some initiatives about outsourcing and ITES. We are doing some work on visual animation and graphic design. Actually, we are now contemplating on which side of ITES we should focus.
Razib Ahmed: Thanks a lot for your time.
Syed Farhad Ahmed: My warm wishes to all the readers of SouthAsiaBiz.
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