The software development centre is a project under which programmers of Technovista Limited will get training in Denmark on the latest IT technologies.

Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Niels Severin Munk yesterday formally announced the approval of grant. He said the grant is a part of Danida Private Sector Development (PSD) Programme.

Niels Severin Munk said the objective of the Danida PSD Programme is to contribute to the economic and social development of Bangladesh through Danish technology.

The software development centre is a collaboration between Marticco Aps, a software developer company of Denmark, and Technovista Limited, another software developer company of Bangladesh.

An agreement between the two companies was signed to this effect yesterday. Marticco Aps Director Lars Andersen and Technovista Limited Managing Director Nurul Kabir signed the partnership agreement on behalf of their organisations.

Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, who was present at the signing ceremony, said private sector is the key engine behind economic growth of Bangladesh. "So, I think the Danida PSD programme will promote co-operation between the private sector of the two countries."

Though the potential of information technology in Bangladesh is increasing, there is a lack of software programmers and developers, said Kabir.

Under the agreement, 12 Bangladeshi programmers will go to Denmark for software development training, he added. "It will ensure knowledge and quality transfer between Denmark and Bangladesh,"

Technovista, a sister concern of Mohammadi Group, is a software developing company which exports software to the US and European markets as well as Vietnam and Indonesia.

Mohammadi Group Chairman Anisul Haq was also present.