Digital economy a must for building digital Bangladesh: Akbar Ali

Prominent economist and former adviser to the immediate past caretaker government Dr. Akbar Ali Khan on Friday said there is no alternative to digital economy for building digital Bangladesh by 2021. In other words, digital economy is a must for building a digital Ban-gladesh, he said.
He said this while addressing a discussion meeting on “The role of employees in building Digital Bangladesh” organized by Bangabandhu Peshajibi Parishad held at National Press Club yesterday.
He called upon the people engaged in government and non-government sectors to come forward for assisting the digitalization process of the government as implementation of the project taken for building digital Bangladesh will not be possible for the government alone.
“As the key-factors to materialize the dream of building digital Bangladesh the government will have to ensure electricity and education for all,” said the economist. He said that there is huge potentiality in the move of digital Bangladesh on the one hand, there are some risks on the other. “If the government can not ensure the access to digitalization process for all class of people, the society may be divided into two groups such as knowledge based society and knowledge-poor society. Besides, the gap between two groups will be widened much and contribute to creating barrier to the digitalization process.
The government will have to bring employees of different sectors under digitalization process and they should be provided with proper training because the employees will work in the fields as the real implementers of project taken by the government to make the country digital by 2021.
Echoing the same view, Barrister Amirul Islam said uniform education system should be compulsory for all and computer course should also be integrated with national curricular to quicken the process of making digital Bangladesh.
Former army chief Lieu-tenant General (Retd) M Haron-or- Rashid said a research to find out the way to implement the project of building digital Bangladesh should be conducted without any delay. Besides, the government will firstly have to construct infrastructure throughout the country with a view to building digital Bangladesh.
Professor Dr. S M Imamul Haque, Awami league leader Mohammed Habibur Rahman Siraj, leader of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal Shririn Akter and leaders of Bangabandhu Peshajibi Parishad also addressed the discussion meeting, among others.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today