The e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) has taken an initiative to set up the country's first private e-commerce technology park in Dhaka.
“This scheme will solve the office space accommodation problems for a good number of e-commerce entrepreneurs. They will also get courier and payment gateway facilities over there,” said Razib Ahmed, president of e-CAB.
The association signed an agreement on Monday to rent 24,000 square feet of space (two floors) in a building in Mohakhali from Nasima Akter Nisha, owner of the ten-storied building.
The agreement will initially be for ten years; it might be extended later.
More than 200 online traders are already interested in renting space there. Two entrepreneurs are even asking for 1,000 square feet each, said Ahmed.
“We can accommodate about 60 companies on a first come first serve basis.”
Nisha, who is also an e-commerce entrepreneur and director of e-CAB's corporate affairs wing, said there is a huge amount of space there and if needed, two more floors can be allocated to the e-commerce park.
“There are a huge number of e-commerce entrepreneurs who are running their businesses sitting at home as they have a shortage of capital to setup an office space. Such an arrangement will definitely be helpful for them,” said Nisha.
Leaders of e-CAB expect to establish the first e-commerce park in the country this year by completing all the procedures.
The association that has 600 members also plans to establish at least two more e-commerce parks in Dhaka – one in Mohammadpur and the other in Mirpur – depending on space availability, said Ahmed.
Earlier, the government declared special tax benefits for the private technology parks.
The e-CAB also applied to Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority for approval to setup the e-commerce park, after which, it will be ensured of dedicated internet and power round the clock at reduced prices as per a government policy.
“We received their application, but there is some lacking. We asked them to submit a fresh application with all the required information,” said Hosne Ara Begum, managing director of Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority.
The authority has already declared seven institutions as private hi-tech software parks.
Currently, there are 1,000 e-commerce entrepreneurs in the country; there are another 1,000 businesses that operate on Facebook.
The market size of e-commerce is about Tk 800 crore, said industry insiders and the market is growing at around 20 percent a year, according to e-CAB.
Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/business/first-e-commerce-tech-park-the-offing-1377070
