Bangladesh at 50: Reaching out for a digital future

 

If we look at the development saga of Bangladesh, the stories do not resonate with any typical progress. They seem more like lofty quests. Tackling political ups and downs, population crisis and the scarcity of natural resources have always hindered the position that Bangladesh has achieved today. From the "basket case" remark to sending out our first satellite into orbit, Bangladesh speaks of its incremental and steady progress in industrialization, food safety and ICT growth.

The government's pledge in making a "Digital Bangladesh" by 2021 has seen its fruition, with widespread access to the internet, smartphones, digital access points spread across the country, e-governance and common people's access to information has become quite a success to this program. ICT has been considered as an export sector since 1991, the growth in this sector remained slow till now as Bangladesh has successfully identified ICT as a "trust sector" as it has the potential for successful reforms, job creation, industry growth and higher impact to other sectors as well as improving governance and facilitating inclusion. The government led by the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should be highly praised for the initiative taken for initiating and successfully implementing and supporting ICT growth in Bangladesh.

The amazing works that have been done in the ICT sector are immense for preparing us for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Our progress in this sector has come with the joint effort of both the government and the private sector. But these are small steps. The ICT sector has the ability to quickly transform in supporting Bangladesh's growth, competitiveness and governance. The IT-Enabled Services industry presents an attractive segment worth USD 475 billion which is worth competing for. The ICT sector in Bangladesh is relatively small compared to the size of our economy and national population. However this industry has seen rapid growth in recent years.

The average growth rate of ICT related industries has seen a 40 percent increase in recent five years with more than 500 registered companies in Bangladesh. These companies employ over 12,000 ICT professionals. This market, excluding the telecom sector, has been estimated to be $300 million in value with more than 100 companies exporting their products and services. We need more IT based industries to propel our hopes and dreams for a digital Bangladesh.

The youth plays a big part in popularizing the widespread usage of smartphones and the internet. Content making and consumption has seen a massive rise in recent years. We need to educate our youth in capturing the essence of innovation and critical thinking. To meet the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution, the government is working on creating a skilled workforce in the information-technology sector while also working on developing structural strength. Bangladesh is en-route to becoming a digital device manufacturer in the global market.

The rise of social media and app based lifestyle has provided us with the much needed help in embracing a digital future. The introduction of digital wallet, internet payment and digital media services has been playing pivotal roles in transforming the scenarios in Bangladesh. Rural areas have also seen the surge of internet users in recent years. The rise of online marketplaces has grown rapidly. As the COVID-19 pandemic took a toil in our daily life, we have learned to embrace the new normal of being digital. Thanks to the infrastructure provided to us by the government.

The education sector has seen a massive overhaul during the lockdowns as students and teachers are forced to participate in the online mode of attending classes and exams. The mass participation has already been showing its positive sides. The more educators and students are accustomed to the online methods, the more we see the rise of tendency to search for information and conduct research.

The impressive growth of Bangladesh is the equal effort of the hard-working and aspiring people. As Bangladesh has been gifted with an abundance of population and there is always the scope to becoming a ICT powerhouse with a skilled population. But the days of slower and steadier steps are over as we need to take longer strides as our skilled neighbors. Our education policy should be more focused towards newer innovation and research. We may lack natural resources but the power of the collective cannot be tamed.

The spark for our independence was ignited by the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh MujiburRahman in his historical 7th March address. He did not just give us an independent nation, but a voice and a unique identity in the world. From a war torn nation to achieving the least developed country (LDC) status, the spark remains still the same. A country full of bright people who also echo the dream of Sonar Bangla like the father of the nation, Bangabandhu. The recent success of our country is a result of the combined effort from the government and the hard-working and aspiring citizens of this country. But the hard work has not been over as a digital future lies ahead of us. It is our time to take a lead in the coming industrial revolution.


The writer is a Senior Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature, Central Women's University, Dhaka