Fostering a tech-savvy workforce is a critical element in paving the way for a "smart Bangladesh", according to the Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, as he said the endeavour is imperative to effectively confront the hurdles that arise from graduating from LDC status.
After a policy dialogue in Dhaka on Monday, the adviser expressed his concern about the possibility of falling into the middle-income trap, a fate suffered by other nations such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
He emphasised the need for caution and strategic planning to avoid this pitfall.
The adviser joined the dialogue titled "Roadmap for Smart Bangladesh" as the chief guest at the Biniyog Bhaban in the city's Agargaon area, a statement said. The Information Communication Technology (ICT) Division organised the event, as State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak presided over it.
In addition to creating smart citizens to achieve the goal of "Smart Bangladesh", Salman F Rahman said a comprehensive improvement is required for the country's education and health sector.
Identifying the challenges on the way to becoming a smart nation, he said some of the countries graduating from the LDC have been stuck in the middle-income trap as they didn't take time befitting measures. "It is an appalling trap. We are moving forward with the goal of implementing the master plan to build a Smart Bangladesh like the previous achievement of Digital Bangladesh," he said.
The biggest challenge in implementing the vision of "Smart Bangladesh" is to create a skilled workforce, the adviser noted, adding that the country has made considerable progress in this field. "We want to work on skill development in collaboration with the government, academia and industry," he said.
State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said the country has established the basic soft infrastructure of mobile networks, e-services and smartcards among others, which have paved the way to a service eco-system.
Expansion of the soft infrastructure will help the country reach its goal by 2041, he hoped.