Bangladesh is walking on the digital to smart path by creating a three-dimensional bond between industry, academia and government. State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that this expedition is being made sustainable by creating a potential startup ecosystem by creating opportunities for information technology knowledge acquisition and research in educational institutions and setting up Unibators in universities. The State Minister said, through the Smart Bangladesh Task Force under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and supervised by the ICT Advisor Sajib Wazed, we will collaborate with industry, government and academia for Smart Bangladesh.
Through this, by 2041, there will be more than 50 billion dollars of foreign income from the software and IT, ITES sector, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
In his keynote address at the Cabinet meeting held at the BASIS SoftExpo on Friday night, he highlighted how social media is using data analytics and artificial intelligence to highlight Bangladesh’s way forward. He said that 5 crore services have been provided in the current seven years from 999. 7.5 million Citizens have received services from 333. BASIS entrepreneurs are involved with each of the government’s 52,000 websites. Bangladesh has risen to the 32nd position in the world in adopting digital security measures. It is expected that the growth of e-commerce sector will increase to 80 percent in 2025. 500 percent growth in digital finance and 40 percent growth in digital devices have been projected.
In this meeting titled ‘From Digital Bangladesh Towards Smart Bangladesh’ at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal of the capital, the ICT State Minister highlighted the differences between Hi-Tech Park, Software Park and IT Training and Incubation Center.
He said, we will set up labs on robotics, AI, machine learning, microchip designing, VLS SI and cyber security in 57 universities. A Center for Four IRs will be established centrally with the World Economic Forum. By 2041, we will be building the next generation to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The state minister also said that we have become a middle income country in 2021. Even if 10 percent is successful in the global context, the success rate of the startup companies we have invested in is over 30 percent. Investors of the world are choosing Bangladesh as the best place to invest. We want to become a developed country by 2041. Then our per capita income will exceed 12 thousand 500 dollars.
Palak said, Digital Bangladesh is built on the four pillars of specific planning, a time frame, and action-plan and job distribution. Before 2008 there was no digital center in the country. The cost of internet is very low now. As a result, people are getting services through digital centers across the country. More than 2000 services and almost 90 percent of government activities are now running online.
In the event, the Boston Consulting Group’s monitoring report was presented by the State Minister of ICT, where it is said that the digital economic development of Bangladesh due to the development of internet and information technology-based infrastructure is unmatched compared to any other country in the world. The Minister of Agriculture Dr. Abdur Razzak and Minister of State for Power Nasrul Hamid Bipu discussed on the main article while Basis President Russell T. Ahmed presided over the session.
Participating in the discussion, the Agriculture Minister said, once the agriculture sector contributed about 60 percent of the GDP. Now it has come down to 13. However, in the last 13 years, the total GDP has increased by 8 times, which is a world record. But now we are pretty much self-sufficient in food. Now we want to increase income by converting agriculture into modern agriculture. Commercialization of agriculture requires smart agriculture. ICT should be used here. We have already taken several initiatives. ICT department is assisting us. We are going to do an agriculture smart card soon. Through this, farmers will get immediate service according to the land and weather.
Minister of Agriculture Dr. Abdur Razzak said, now robots and drones are being used in Japan to harvest fruits. We want to take agriculture to international level and transform it into smart agriculture. Digitization will be needed at every step from seeding to marketing to consumer. That is what we call Smart Agriculture. Transparency and accountability will also be possible through this.
Participating in the discussion, Minister of State for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that the ministry is working with modern technology to provide comfort to customers. Technology will save customers time and money as well as ensure comfort with quality electricity.
The State Minister for Power said that for the convenience of customers, plans have been made to use various modern technologies in the power and energy department including smart grid, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system.
He also said that technology is changing very fast. We have to keep pace with this change. Bangladesh will become a smart Bangladesh very soon if we can work together and coordinate.
BASIS President Russell T Ahmed as the organizer said, “When we were going through a socio-economic business crisis after the Covid-19 pandemic, we organized this event on such a large scale as a complete private initiative. The biggest force behind it was patriotism. From the responsibility of standing by the Smart Bangladesh Declaration, we are here to showcase the capabilities of our industry as well as the potential. May the new generation understand; I have tried that they can also participate.
At this time, in the panel discussion, the BASIS president asked questions about the policy decision of specific budget concessions from each ministry to be solved with local software. In response to his question, ICT State Minister said, we have such a plan. It is in startup policy. It is now in a draft stage.