DHAKA, Dec 18, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has hosted “BASIS-Japan Day 2024” in a city hotel with the aim of strengthening Bangladesh-Japan trade relations and expanding business opportunities alongside demonstrating Bangladesh's capabilities in the ICT sector.

Two agreements were also signed at the event taken place on Tuesday, said a BASIS press release today.

The two agreements - one was on cooperation between BASIS Japan Desk and Miyazaki IT Plus, while another was between Kawai and e-Growth.  

In addition, a panel discussion titled “Digital Transformation: Scopes for Japan-Bangladesh Collaboration” was held where Fayez Ahmed Tayeb, Policy Advisor to the ICT Division, made the keynote presentation.

Speaking on the occasion as special guest, ICT Division Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury mentioned that in this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, ICT is the driving force of the economy.

Highlighting Japan as a trusted friend of Bangladesh, he said “With the support of the Japanese government and investors, we can strengthen our backbone further in the coming days."

The secretary urged the Japanese ambassador to facilitate employment opportunities for both skilled and semi-skilled Bangladeshi youths in Japan, as Bangladeshi youths are among the best professionals in Japan's ICT sector.

In his speech as the chief guest, Japan's Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori laid emphasize on the importance of both competition and collaboration in ICT development between the public and private sectors.

Stressing the necessity of the long-term comprehensive planning, he said improved business conditions will attract more investments from Japan to Bangladesh.

He observed that Bangladesh has made significant progress in ICT and is a promising destination for Japanese investments.

“There is substantial potential for Bangladesh and Japan to work together in the ICT sector," added the envoy.

At the programme, certificates were distributed to nine batches of graduates from the "B-MEET" Japanese Language Course Programme, conducted in collaboration with BASIS and Miyazaki University.