Bangladesh wants to be a world leader in cyber tools and solutions within 20 years
Bangladesh has started working to lead Bangladesh in the world in cyber tools and solutions. For this, the ICT department is working in 4 domains under the guidance of the Prime Minister's ICT Adviser in collaboration with educational institutions and industry. Cyber security, artificial intelligence, robotics and micro-processing design are of paramount importance in building a skilled workforce in the country. As part of this, the country's first cyber range has been set up at MIST, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT.
The state minister said this while addressing the inaugural function of the range at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) campus of Mirpur Cantonment in the capital on Sunday (April 10).
He said that in an exclusive meeting on March 20, Hon'ble Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy Bhai gave a directive that Bangladesh should be able to lead the world in cyber tools and solutions by 2041. That is why we have started working together government-academia-industry in four main domains.
Noting that there is no room for complacency in ensuring cyber security, Palak said it is a war of attrition. There is no substitute for regular capacity acquisition. So, we planned to set up a cyber- range in MIST in 2019. Before opening the range today, we met with the MIST team and identified some of our potential and future needs.
At the same time, the state minister urged education and technologists to give utmost importance to cyber education to lead the cyber world in the next 20 years. https://digibanglatech.news/english/73523/
"Right now, we need to build our capacity in the place of quantum computing," he said. Because, we don't want to lose the opportunity to lead change in the next 100 years. We want to increase the share of total growth in the IT sector from 1 percent to 20 percent by 2041. For this, an organization like MIST must lead. Therefore, out of the curriculum, institutions like MIST, BOIP and Daffodil which have started cyber education have to set up simulation centers like cyber range, cyber drill and cyber gym.
Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that the ICT department is on the side of the educational institutions to meet the demand of 3.5 million cyber security experts in the world by 2021. He called upon the universities to pay attention to the introduction of computer and information security issues along with CSE.
"If we take advantage of this opportunity, it will not be a big deal for us to surpass trillions of dollars revenues," he said. “I will be happy and contended when I will see the students who have passed from MIST lead the world. The names of the students of our country will be on the Wall of Fame”, he added.
MIST Rector Major General Md. Wahid-uz-Zaman presided over the function while Dr. Abdul Mannan, Executive Director of Bangladesh Computer Council and Abdur Razzak, Head of Computer Science and Engineering Faculty of the University spoke on the occasion.
Nahid Izahar Khan, Member of Parliament from the reserved women's seat-2 of the National Assembly; Bikarna Kumar Ghosh, Managing Director of Hi-Tech Park Authority; Tariq Mosaddek Barkatullah, Director of BGD e-Govt CIRT; Saiful Islam, Project Director of Digital Literacy Center; Project Director of Enhancing Digital Government and Economy Dr. Mehdi Hasan; BASIS Senior Vice President Samira Zuberi Himika were present among others on the occasion.
