Taking technology to people

Integral to the government's vision to make Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021 is the oft-cited concept of Digital Bangladesh. It is a concept that recognises the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in realising a modern society prepared to make the most of 21st century opportunities, globally.

As outlined by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Digital Bangladesh combines four key priorities -- to develop human resources ready to engage through ICT with a rapidly changing world; to interconnect citizens in ways they find meaningful; to improve private sector and market productivity and competitiveness; and to bring services to every citizen's doorstep.

While progress has been made in all four areas, it is in relation to the last of these priorities that progress to date is likely the most significant.

The introduction of 3G mobile networks and a reduction in internet unit price have contributed to increased online speeds and greater internet accessibility across the country.

Online money transfers are now common, while utility bill payment, accessing public examination results and purchasing train tickets are activities already conducted online.

The government has established 5,275 digital centres, including 4,547 Union Digital Centres all over the country, each providing between 50 and 200 digitally-based services. Through this initiative, even rural dwellers have become connected to the online global village.

Public policy and initiative have also encouraged long-term upward growth in the number of mobile phone users, which has reached nearly 130 million, and over 64 million for internet users.

In terms of teledensity, which measures the number of telephone connections per one hundred people, in 2009 it stood at 30 percent while just two years later, it jumped to 47.08 percent. The government is on its way to reaching its 2021 target of 100 percent teledensity.

Greater ICT use is already proving a boon to the Bangladeshi economy with an increasing number of Bangladeshis engaged in online jobs based both domestically and abroad.

In the future, ICT has the potential to transform the current labour intensive national economy into a knowledge-based one.

Bangladesh has identified ICT as a 'thrust sector' with potential for quick wins in driving reform, job creation and industry growth, as well as in improving governance and facilitating inclusion, all key to achieving rapid socio-economic progress.

As such, the idea of Digital Bangladesh incorporates ICT use in management, administrative and governance systems with a view to greater efficiency, transparency and accountability at all levels, both vertically, between government agencies and horizontally, between the government and citizens.

The ICT Division is also introducing innovation funds to enable innovators and institutions to make further gains in providing faster, easier-to-use public service delivery systems.

Promoting the gearing up of ICT efforts in both the public and private sectors, in supplement to other ICT-focused government endeavours, was a priority for the ICT Division in fiscal 2015-16, with Tk 4 crore spent on 77 projects in innovation promotion and development.

The ICT Division has also awarded scholarships to public and private university students worth around Tk 2 crore for IT research at the masters, doctoral and postdoctoral levels.

Moreover, funds have been offered to professors, researchers and talented students to organise ICT events at home and abroad.

Some innovation funds were also offered to start-ups at the Janata Tower Software Technology Park, with the establishment of Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City in Kaliakoir, Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park in Jessore and Hi-Tech Park in Sylhet, proceeding rapidly with the promise of offering job opportunities to unemployed literate youth.

All such initiatives work towards achieving a truly Digital Bangladesh by 2021, which sets the stage in turn, for realising the government's dream of Bangladesh as a developed country by 2041.

The writer is a deputy secretary at the ICT Division.