The government and the World Bank (WB) yesterday signed a $70 million agreement for an ICT project meant to drive growth, employment and governance.

The project aims to create an estimated 30,000 direct jobs in the information technology and IT-enabled services sectors.

Senior Secretary of Economic Relations Division Iqbal Mahmood and WB Country Director Ellen Goldstein signed the deal for the project that will start in December this year and end in December 2017.

The project's total cost will be $71 million, of which the global lender will provide $70 million at an interest rate of 0.75 percent to be paid back in 40 years, including a grace period of 10 years.

Bangladesh needs targeted programmes to develop its potential in the IT and ITES industries and to build the necessary e-government foundations, Mahmood said.

“The project would directly benefit 30,000 youth who will gain marketable and globally recognised IT and ITES skills. Among them, 9,000 will be women,” Goldstein said.

Bangladeshis will benefit from increased incomes due to the en-hanced employment opportunities

in the growing global IT industry,

she said.

Ten thousand non-computer science graduates will be trained as software developers, said ERD's Additional Secretary Arastoo Khan.

Besides, 20,000 more will be trained in computer language, customer services and other trainings on computer literacy, he said.

News: The Daily Star/Bangladesh/27-Nov-12