Empowering the Youth in Bangladesh with Techants...Through Information and Communication Technologies

Rationale: far-reaching and fundamental transformations in cultural and economic affairs brought about through the development and global use of information technology (IT).
UNESCO has decided to recommend "access to cyberspace" as an indispensable human right.

It is estimated that IT related innovations and inventions over the past five years have exceeded the total number of inventions worldwide over the past 100 years.

For the first time, we have a truly empowering technology, which can bridge the gap between the developing and the developed world.

World Economic Forum, Dec 99: "Left by itself, the Internet will sharpen the digital divide".

The Internet and IT can become a global equalizer only if we make them available free for the children and youth of the developing world.

The opportunity presented to us now to leap-frog our current poor state of industrial development will not last for very long.

Observations
Unbalanced Distribution

In coming years:
28.32% of all computers will be in the US
Europe will have 26.73%
and countries like India or Mexico will only share 1.08%.

Although there are over 6,000 different languages in the world and only about 470 million people are speaking English, 90% of online information is stored in this language.

The immense potential of ICT and its vast field of application has opened-up a new horizon towards expansion of export market. Export of different soft wares to the developed countries can contribute significantly in earning foreign currency. Like many other countries in the South-East and South Asian region, Bangladesh, as well as other developing countries, may also take the opportunity to eradicate poverty enhancing the income of the people equitably through the optimum exploitation of the potential ICT in a very short time.

To accelerate the process of vast economic development through export of software and ICT industry, Techants could play a major role and has an open mind to extend any help if anybody requires....

Call Center, VoIP, Opportunity flow and Bangladeshi youth!

We are living in a crazy world. These days, a university student Mark Zuckerberg creates Facebook in his dorm room in two weeks to become billionaire.

This era of Internet, Instant messaging, SMS is all about new ideas and innovations. And Leaders of these innovations, Bill Gates (Microsoft), Jerry Young (Yahoo), Larry Page (Google), were all students when they started building their companies.

All these crazy things are happening because of the Internet and its ability to move new ideas rapidly. After all, ideas are the fundamentals of great things.

How about Bangladeshi students? Are they playing any major role?

Not really! So far, we have been mostly Google users and members of Facebook.

Before finishing off this topic of new ideas & Bangladeshi students, let’s look at a typical new opportunity flow in Bangladeshi ICT industry – how it starts and ends.

First, experts, stakeholders, and policy makers shout a lot when things like “call center license” pop out from our good old Govt Organization BTRC. It followed by Bangladeshi dreaming about near future when country will fetch billion dollars (with in months) off call centers. What actually happens at the end - nothing. May sound harsh and hopeless, but it’s the reality in Bangladesh.

A recent example would be VoIP.

I remember I was in USA when I first heard excited immigrants talking about legalizing VoIP in Bangladesh. It was long long time ago. From global IT standpoint where industry moves in seconds, it was million years ago. What exactly we achieved from VoIP so far? As we all know, answer is pretty bleak. What’s really agonizingly funny is reading stuff (lecturing) on VoIP written by “few” expatriate Bangladeshi ICT experts on daily newspapers. These are the same people who utilized VoIP (illegitimate ways off course) to make quick cash.

Anyway, enough of this talks of despair.

Is there any hope for us? Yes, seriously.

Here is my message to youths and students of Bangladesh.

For the first time in the history of mankind, Internet is providing a platform for anyone to achieve anything from anywhere in the world. Be a part of this revolution, not just an observer.

Don’t wait for anyone (Govt., Politicians, policy makers, whatever) to help you out.

Get a PC with net connection, which will provide you everything that you need to invent the next Google. Yes, you can surely do it. I know like all others that our students got talent. Yes, you do. Just use it.

And those with PC and net already, please don’t waste time hanging out on facebook, myspace, hi5 only. Do something great so Bangladesh becomes known everywhere because of your work!