Amendments to A2i Bill sought for even business competition

Fearing uneven business competition with the possible state-owned companies, the five ICT associations in the country on Monday demanded amendments to the recently passed Agency to Innovate (A2i) Bill as it has paved the way for such companies.

The final version of the bill did not incorporate a significant recommendation – not to let the authority form companies that might engage in businesses for profits – from the relevant parliamentary standing committee. And, private sector players in the IT and IT-enabled services are concerned that state-owned firms, with additional access to government information, will gain an unfair edge when participating in government project tenders.

To address these concerns and ensure fair competition, the leaders of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS), Bangladesh Association of Contact Center and Outsourcing (Bacco), Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (Ispab), and E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) jointly demanded amendments to the law.

Their aim is to prevent private sector players from facing uneven competition.

"We could have welcomed the move to let state-owned firms compete in the ICT sector if it was in the 1990s when the private sector was yet to flourish," said BASIS President Russel T Ahmed, adding, "But not now, as the private sector has proved its competence in ICT."

Bangladesh is currently exporting IT and IT-enabled services worth approximately $1.5 billion per year, and the country has established itself as a significant global source of online knowledge workers.

The associations, during stakeholders' discussion, proposed each of their representation in the board of the proposed Agency to Innovate, which was partially reflected in the final bill that was passed in the parliament on 5 July.  

The BASIS president said the prime minister, her ICT affairs advisor and the ICT state minister consistently emphasised that the government's commitment was to foster an environment conducive to enterprise rather than engaging in business activities directly.

"The imperative lies in establishing a business-friendly ecosystem that strengthens the position in materialising the Smart Bangladesh vision of the prime minister."

He maintained that in light of conflicts of interest, the current clause within the A2i Bill grants the Agency the authority to establish any type of company and provide any service, which directly contradicts the interests of the industry.

To resolve these conflicts, he requested that the power granted to A2i to form companies, as described in Section 21 of the recently passed A2i Bill of 2023, be completely revoked.

"Furthermore, I urge the reprinting of the bill with necessary amendments to resolve the conflicts that exist in other clauses," he continued.

Bacco President Wahid Sharif, Ispab President Md Imdadul Hoque, e-CAB General Secretary Md Abdul Wahed Tomal also expressed their similar concern at the press conference held at BASIS Auditorium in the capital.