Despite the previous government’s initiatives, the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ policy has not delivered the expected results. The effort to enhance skills and create employment opportunities for youth and women has faltered, especially due to the lack of infrastructure and foundational education in technology. This shortfall, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has created concerns about achieving both domestic and global targets.
This was highlighted during a roundtable discussion titled “Empowering Women and Youth through Technology: Our Readiness and Actions,” organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Bonik Barta on Sunday. The discussion, held at the newspaper’s headquarters in Kawran Bazar, lasted for two and a half hours.
Sheesh Haider Chowdhury, Secretary of the ICT Division, stated, “We are currently in the process of resetting and restarting. We cannot deny the past. The a2i project holds much potential, but it has also been mired in controversy. While Info Sarkar 1 and 2 were moderately successful, the third phase has been disastrous. The involvement of Fiber@Home and Summit in building infrastructure has led to cost inflation, with tasks that should have cost 1 Taka ending up costing 5 Taka, and work meant to be completed in one year taking seven to eight years without any real progress. There has been no benefit at all.”
He further expressed, “After 55 years of our nation’s existence, we still need to discuss such issues. We have entered the superhighway, but the question remains whether we can keep up with updated versions and reduce the digital divide. Coordination needs to improve.”
Former ICT Secretary and current Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Md. Rezaul Maksud Jahedi, mentioned the stark contrast in internet usage between countries, noting, “In Singapore, per capita internet usage is 555 Kbps, while in Bangladesh, it’s only 0.5 Kbps. This is the digital gap we must address. The problem is that in the technology sector, we have prioritized politicization over professionalism.”
Dr. Gazi Md. Saifuzzaman, Director-General of the Department of Youth Development, shared, “We bring around 300,000 people into training programs every year. Over three years, around 900,000 individuals will be trained through ongoing infrastructure projects, with an additional 900,000 youth and women trained under the ARNE program (Economic Acceleration and Resilience for the Needy).”
Fahim Mashroor, CEO of Bdjobs.com, criticized the focus on digital literacy, stating, “Our youth are already growing up surrounded by digital technology. To talk about teaching them digital literacy is the height of misunderstanding. Millions have been wasted in the name of teaching something they are already proficient in.”
Mashroor also highlighted the misuse of digital platforms, particularly in the unproductive and destructive activities of online betting, with no serious efforts to address the issue.
Other speakers at the event echoed concerns about the gaps between policy and execution, the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and the lack of investment in youth-driven initiatives. The discussions underscored the need for more inclusive and well-coordinated efforts to ensure that technological advancements lead to meaningful progress in skill development, employment, and overall national growth.
The event concluded with remarks from CPD’s Executive Director, Dr. Fahmida Khatun, who stressed the importance of using technology to create opportunities and bring marginalized groups into the mainstream. She pointed out that while the overall unemployment rate in the country is around 3.2%, it is much higher among the youth, with many not engaged in any form of employment, education, or training. This large demographic must be integrated into the workforce to capitalize on its potential.
In his opening address, Bonik Barta‘s Publisher and Editor, Dewan Hanif Mahmud, emphasized that this generation is empowered by technology, and the participation of youth and women in the tech sector can create numerous opportunities. He called for innovative thinking to better integrate them into the workforce.