Dr. Foqan Uddin Ahmed: Digitaliza-tion in Bangl-adesh sta-rted in the year 2008 through th-e announcement of the election manifesto by honorable Prime Minister, aiming to achieve sustainable development goals by 2021. It was manifested again in the 2014 election for the purpose of building knowledge based society and achieving the status of a developed country by 2041. Bangladesh will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2021 with the principles of digital Bangladesh. Digital Bangladesh will enter new arenas of prospects, hopes and aspirations after that.
The phrase “Digital Bangladesh” although is composed of the catchy word ‘Digital’, representing a concept which benefits the country as whole by using information and communication technology for management, administration and governance in order to ensure transparency, accountability and insurability at all levels of society and state.
Digital Bangladesh will provide us an ICT-driven knowledge based society in which information will be readily available on time and where all possible tasks of the government and also private sphere will be processed using state-of-the-art technology. So in order to build such a digital Bangladesh we should emphasize on efficient and effective use of modern ICT in all spheres of the society.
ICT is the backbone of any digital initiative. It covers the vast area of information ensuring connectivity through information technology, communications technology and telecommunication technology. Without the development of the ICT sector, the dream of a digital Bangladesh would not be possible. The main factors of ICT are the physical backbone and intellect. Computer systems, network machineries, software, wired and wireless connectivity systems, broadcast hardware and many other hardware accessories are the physical backbone. The trained human resources behind the backbone are the intellect. To materialize the idea of digital Bangladesh, development of countrywide backbone and expected number of human recourses are the basic needs. On the other hand, while mass people are concerned availability, accessibility and affordability must be ensured. Otherwise the objective of building a digital Bangladesh could not be achieved properly.
Due to globalization, more specifically due to booming of ICT, Bangladesh has already connected with the outside world through the information super highway. Information technology reduces cost, saves time and increases the confidence of citizens. Hence, developing countries such as Bangladesh should leverage the power of IT to leapfrog poverty barriers and promote economic and social development.
But we have to keep in mind that technology alone cannot alleviate economy nor guarantee dynamic service delivery to citizens. It is important to understand that ICT facilitates good governance but ICT itself does not guarantee good governance.
Over the last few years, a great revolution has taken place in cellular phone usage in Bangladesh. It is evident that the number of cellophane subscribes is growing rapidly. In Bangladesh, 51% of the population does not have access to essential drugs. Furthermore, there are only 26 physicians are per one lac population compared to 279 for US and 162 for China. ICT can help bring medical expertise to upazillas and district headquarters. Telemedicine, for instance, linked health care centers in remote locations through satellite with specialized hospitals at major towns or cities.
The forces of globalization and technology are continuously reshaping our economy. The impact of information and communication technology is giving rise to a new type of economy – knowledge based economy. Our government must take proactive steps to bring technology to rural citizens. However, our dreams towards a digital Bangladesh have a long way to go. Digitalization of Bangladesh will depend how best the government can leverage the power of ICT to increase the access to information of its population.
Ten years since the Awami League made a promise to technologically transform the nation with an agenda aptly titled “Digital Bangladesh”, the country has seen radical transformation in the arena of information and communication technology. In a bid to fulfill the aim to transform Bangladesh into a technologically advanced nation by 2041, the country has come a long way. ICT training by the government has opened a new horizon in youth employment through outsourcing. According to a study conducted by Oxford University, Bangladesh is now home to around 16.8% of all outsourced online workers in the world, a rate that is second only to India at 24.6%. Ten years ago only 20 million Bangladeshis had access to a mobile phone. As of April 2018 that number has grown to more than 150 millions.
What will come next of 2021? Will we sit idle? The process of next materialization must be brought to focus from now. Tools of ICT have to be used as time will demand. We are confident, with the help of high and advanced technology, the dream of digital Bangladesh will be materialized in full by 2041.
Writer: Former Deputy Director General and Commandant, Ansar VDP Academy
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