Speakers at a workshop yesterday stressed the need for modernising Bangladesh information technology industry in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing world scenario.

They observed the business environment is changing fast with the rapid development in the IT sector.

The workshop styled 'Modernising IT Industries in Bangladesh' was held at the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) conference room in the city. It was organised by TechBangla, an IT firm, in collaboration with the FBCCI.

FBCCI President Yussuf Abdullah Harun attended the workshop as chief guest.

The workshop was divided into two sessions -- E-commerce in the Field of E-business in Bangladesh and Software Requirements Engineering and System Analysis.

Khaled Azizi Sumon, Information Technology Director ofAtrophoenix, a Canadian IT company, presented key note paper on e-commerce in the field of e-business in Bangladesh while Mustafizur Rahman presented paper on software requirements engineering and system analysis.

Addressing the function, Yussuf Abdullah Harun said the software industry has tremendous potential in the country and the government rightly identified it as a thrust sector.

"In order to modernise the IT industry in the country it is necessary to have an appropriate IT policy in place," he observed.

Chief of the country's apex trade body also said the IT industry in Bangladesh will grow with increased use of the computerised system and Internet.

He also put forwarded six proposals for speedy development of the sector in Bangladesh.

The proposals include expediting privatisation process of telecom sector, getting connected with global information superhighway through sub-marine cable, access to telephone connections at competitive prices, introducing soft credit for e-commerce, e-health, e-education and Internet service providers, introduction of computer science in all secondary school and colleges, recasting the traditional syllabi in to generate IT professionals.

Harun appreciated some government decisions to facilitate IT growth in the country.

Khaled Azizi Sumon, in his key-note paper on e-commerce in the field of e-business in Bangladesh, said Internet has opened up avenues for Bangladesh to access global market.

He noted Bangladeshi businessmen are shy to invest in the in the IT sector as it is relatively a new sector in the country, adding that one does not need to be IT specialist to start an IT business.

He further said the world-wide business to business (B2B) through ecommerce is expected to reach $6335 billion by 2004 and business to consumers (B2C) e-commerce is estimated to rise from $32 billion in 1999 to $380 billion by 2003.