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2 MONDAY, MAY 8, <strong>2017</strong> DT News Mobile app developers stifled by lack of support, skilled workforce • Ibrahim Hossain Ovi and Shariful Islam BANGLADESH MOBILE APPS INDUSTRY Global mobile app market $58 billion Bangladesh earned $105 million from mobile app development in FY2015-16 1,000 software firms registered with BASIS 200 companies develop mobile apps Bangladesh earned $700 million from ICT export in 2016 Country sets target to earn $5 billion from ICT exports by 2021 10,000 people to be trained on app development by 2018 Mobile internet users in Bangladesh 63.12 million Around 20 million smart phone users Despite the government vision of a “Digital Bangladesh” and the rise of internet-based businesses having opened up new avenues for the ICT sector, the emerging business of mobile app development is still facing a number of hurdles to tapping the huge opportunities on offer in global and domestic markets. Some of the challenges in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector being faced by mobile app development companies include a lack of technical and policy support as well as shortages of investment and skilled workforce. “There are huge opportunities for expansion in the mobile app market as the government and private agencies have opted to digitise services through apps, but these apps are yet to be developed,” Imran Sadik Chowdhury, project manager of Sheba Technologies Ltd, told the Dhaka Tribune. Some of the areas for expansion opened up to app developers due to digitisation are government offices, newspapers, online news portals, e-commerce entrepreneurs, banks, insurance, and mobile phone operators as well as other service providers. Sheba Technologies Ltd has received an extremely positive response to its WowBox app, which has been downloaded by over six million people on Google Playstore, Imran added. “If the entrepreneurs can meet the demand with a supply of quality apps, it would lead Bangladesh’s IT industry to a new height,” he said. Regarding the issues that were impeding mobile app developers from fulfilling this potential, Preneur Lab Chief Executive Officer Arif Nizami said: “As app developers have to use the internet for hours on end, they have to pay high prices for bandwidth. Furthermore, slow internet speeds also make life for developers difficult.” Preneur Lab won the United Nation’s World Summit Award (WSA) in 2016 for developing the Dhaka Public Toilet app, which aids users in finding public toilets within the city. Another app developer, Youth Opportunities, has won the best National Mobile Application Award for its contribution to education and empowerment of young people. Nizami added that a lack of testing labs for mobile apps was also hampering mobile app developers, while quality education for the ICT sector was required to produce an “innovative and talented” workforce. Furthermore, SM Ashraf Abir, chief executive officer of Multimedia Content and Communications (MCC) Ltd, said that Bangladesh’s lack of registration with Google created further barriers. MCC Ltd is one of the leading app developers in Bangladesh, having created numerous free apps for social and educational purposes including Bangladesh Police Station, Let’s Eat - Find Restaurants, Roopkotha, and Bangla Dictionary. “Most Bangladeshi app developers create apps for Android and iOS phones. In developing these apps, the developers often have to buy components from outside the country, which they have to pay for through a merchant account with Google,” Abir told the Dhaka Tribune. However, these merchant accounts cannot be opened without country registration with Google, PHOTO: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU he added. However, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak recently assured that the ICT business people will be able to open merchant account with Google Inc as he got assurance from the world’s leading technology firm at a meeting in the US. Regarding possible solutions to some of these issues, Venture Capital and Private Equity Association of Bangladesh Chairman Shameem Ahsan told the Dhaka Tribune: “The University Grants Commission, in cooperation with universities, has to design a new curriculum based on the ICT industry’s needs to train a skilled workforce.” The chairman added that the syllabus needs to be constantly updated in order to keep up with new innovations as the ICT industry grows at an extremely rapid rate. Shameem also said venture capital would be a great way to address investment shortages, with some impact on the ICT sector already visible. On April 9, Zunaid Ahmed Palak at a programme said: “We will train 10,000 people to develop mobile apps by 2018. Six to seven venture capital companies are currently working on mobile app development. We will formulate a policy in this regard soon.” He added that the government has already created a road map for ICT development. “We are now raising funds and meeting with banks every day. Some policies of Bangladesh Bank are changing and improving for betterment of the IT industry as well as the mobile app development sector,” the state minister said. According to sources in the ICT sector, app development can play a key role in achieving the Bangladesh government’s target of earning $5 billion through the export of ICT products by 2021, but strong policy support and financing was necessary. In the upcoming budget, stakeholders demanded VAT-free internet services, cash incentives against export, block allocations for app developers under the Digital Bangladesh scheme and cuts in corporate tax. According to a comScore report, the global market size for mobile apps stood at $58 billion in 2016, and is projected to reach $77 billion this year. The report also said that there were more than 2.2 million mobile apps available on Google Playstore. According to data from the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Bangladesh earned $700 million from the ICT sector last year, $105 million of which came from mobile apps. • Europe breathes sigh of relief as centrist Macron wins French presidency • AFP Pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron won France’s landmark presidential election, first estimates showed last night, heading off a fierce challenge from the far-right in a pivotal vote for the future of the divided country and Europe. The victory caps an extraordinary rise for the 39-year-old former investment banker, who will become the country’s youngest-ever leader. He has promised to heal a fractured and demoralised country after a vicious campaign that has exposed deep economic and social divisions, as well as tensions around identity and immigration. Initial estimates showed Macron winning between 65.5% and 66.1% of ballots ahead of Le Pen on between 33.9% and 34.5%. Unknown three years ago, Macron is now poised to become one of Europe’s most powerful leaders, bringing with him a hugely ambitious agenda of political and economic reform for France and the European Union. The result will resonate worldwide and particularly in Brussels and Berlin where leaders will breathe a sigh of relief that Le Pen’s anti-EU, anti-globalisation programme has been defeated. After Britain’s vote last year to leave the EU and Donald Trump’s victory in the US, the French election had been widely watched as a test of how high a tide of right-wing nationalism would rise. Le Pen, 48, had portrayed the ballot as a contest between Macron and the “globalists” - in favour of open trade, immigration and shared sovereignty - and her “patriotic” vision of strong borders and national identities. Outgoing President Francois Hollande, who plucked Macron from obscurity to name him minister in 2014, said voting “is always an important, significant act, heavy with consequences” as he cast his vote. Macron will now face huge challenges as he attempts to enact his domestic agenda of cutting state spending, easing labour laws, boosting education in deprived areas and extending new protections to the self-employed. The philosophy and literature lover is inexperienced, has no political party and must try to fashion a working parliamentary majority after legislative elections next month. His En Marche movement - “neither of the left, nor right” - has vowed to field candidates in all 577 constituencies, with half of them women and half of them newcomers to politics. Many analysts are sceptical about his ability to win a majority with En Marche candidates alone, meaning he would have to form a coalition of lawmakers committed to his agenda - something new under France’s current constitution. Furthermore, his economic agenda, particularly plans to weaken labour regulations to fight stubbornly high unemployment, are likely to face fierce resistance from trade unions and his leftist opponents. •
News 3 MONDAY, MAY 8, <strong>2017</strong> DT Ershad announces 58-party alliance • Manik Miazee Jatiya Party (JaPa) has announced a new alliance, entitled United National Alliance (UNA), with 57 other political parties. Party Chairperson HM Ershad made the announcement at the National Press Club in Dhaka yesterday morning. The UNA comprises JaPa, Bangladesh Islamic Front, the Islamic Moha Jote and the Bangladesh Jatiya Jote. The Islamic Moha Jote is made up of 34 Islamic groups and the Bangladesh Jatiya Jote is made up of 22 groups. However, only JaPa and Bangladesh Islamic Front, among the parties of the alliance, are registered with the Election Commission. At the press conference, the deposed military dictator expressed hope that this new alliance would serve as an alternative to the Awami League-led 14-party and the BNP-led 20-party alliances. “We have come together because we hold the same political ideology, Islamic values, sense of nationality and respect for all religious communities in the country. We will not allow any parties or groups to join who stand against independent Bangladesh,” said Ershad. He then appointed JaPa’s Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader as the spokesperson for the UNA. JaPa Chairman Ershad, Islamic Front Chairman MA Mannan, Jatiya Islamic Jote Chairman Abu Naser Owahed and BNR Chairman Shekandhar Ali signed the declaration papers for the new alliance. • ACC asks DNC to submit revised list of drug smugglers • Tarek Mahmud Having failed to proceed against drug smugglers with a flawed list submitted by the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has asked it to submit a revised list of the country’s top drug peddlers within a month. “Actions will be taken against the DNC officials concerned if they fail to submit the list within the stipulated time,” ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood warned yesterday. He was addressing a seminar styled “Aggression of hazardous drugs and our responsibilities,” organised jointly by the DNC and Security Service Division under the Home Ministry at the Bangladesh Institute of Administration and Management auditorium in Dhaka yesterday. He asked for an updated list as the smugglers’ details mentioned in the previous list did not properly correspond with their real address. When contacted, a DNC source said seeking anonymity: “A few months ago, we submitted a list of 4,000 smugglers to the ACC, which later prepared a shortlist containing 365 names and launched an investigation against 17 smugglers.” Alleging that the DNC has been in disarray, Mahmood said: “I gave them a one-month ultimatum to fix errors and update the list; or else they will have to face actions. “Information on one or two persons may be wrong. But, how can everyone’s address be wrong?” Putting emphasis on collaborative efforts to prevent drug smuggling, Mahmood suggested introducing dope tests for vehicle drivers and students seeking admission to educational institutions so the drug abuse could be trimmed down. Asked about the objections raised by the ACC chief, DNC Director General Salauddin Mahmud said: “I was not in charge of the department when the ACC asked for the list. I am, however, taking the matter seriously and will hopefully be able to provide an updated list within the time.” Underscoring the need for a specific law for rehabilitation centres, Security Service Division Secretary Farid Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury said: “There should be coordination between the rehabilitation centres and Health Division. • Tk100 more for the transgendered • Asif Showkat Kallol and Adil Sakhawat The government is set to increase the number of beneficiaries from and the monthly allowances for transgender people under its social safety net programmes (SSNPs) in the next fiscal year. The decision to raise the existing Tk600 ceiling by another Tk 100 came in an inter-ministerial meeting on April 30. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, who chaired the meeting, gave the go-ahead to facilitate the marginlised group in 64 districts. State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki and Social Welfare Secretary Md Zillar Hossain, among others, attended the meeting. According the decision, the current existing allocation of Tk9 crore will see a Tk2.35 crore hike to Tk 11.35 cr . In the ongoing fiscal year, the Social Welfare Ministry until March Sajeeb Wazed Joy, prime minister’s Adviser on ICT, speaks at a workshop on use of social networking media by members of parliament at Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office yesterday FOCUS BANGLA has spent Tk6.75 crore for elderly transgender people. Until the government expanded its allowance disbursement across the country in the 2015-16 fiscal year, the magrinalised community was entitled to the money in just 21 districts. In the meeting, the concerned ministries and departments discussed various positive initiatives taken over the years to address discrimination the community usually faces. • Birthday rape case plaintiffs threatened to withdraw case • Arifur Rahman Rabbi The plaintiffs of the birthday party rape case of March 28 say they are afraid for their safety because their alleged rapists have repeatedly threatened them over the phone to withdraw the case. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, one of the plaintiffs said yesterday: “My family is now very afraid. This constant harassment from Shafaat and the media frenzy has caused them to change their minds about the case – they do not support my seeking justice anymore.” On Saturday, a case was filed with Banani police against Shafaat Ahmed, 26, Nayeem Ashraf, 30, Sadman Sakif, 24, and Billal, 26, for allegedly raping two young women on March 28, at Raintree Hotel in Banani after a birthday party. According to the case file, Shafaat, the son of Dildar Ahmed, one of the owners of Apan Jewellers, and his friend Nayeem allegedly raped the two university students while Shafaat’s bodyguard held the girls at gunpoint and Shafaat’s driver Billal, 26, videotaped the incident. It has been more than 48 hours since the rape case had been filed against the four, but police have yet to arrest anyone. “They were initially hesitant to even take the case,” said one of the plaintiffs who had tried to file a case on Thursday. At the time, police refused to accept the case as two of the accused were from highly influential families and had only written down her statements as a complaint. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Shafaat’s father Dildar Ahmed claimed that his son was a victim of a conspiracy. “This is all his ex-wife’s doing. She is making these girls do this to blackmail him,” Dildar claimed, adding that if the case could not be proved against his son, he would file a defamation case. When the Dhaka Tribune asked Banani police station Inspector (Investigation) Abul Matin why no one had been arrested yet, he said: “We are trying to arrest them. We have even sent a letter to immigration police so that they cannot leave the country.” When questioned about the allegations that police had not made arrests because they had accepted bribes, Abul said: “According to our rules and regulations, we are not allowed to speak to the media.” He promptly hung up the phone. On Sunday, the girls were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for rape tests, which included DNA profiling, radiology and microbiology. The primary results will be available in 15-20 days, said DMCH Forensic Medicine Department Head Dr Sohel Mahmud. •
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