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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for ensuring easy transfer of available technologies to developing nations as they face the toughest challenges of the 4th industrial revolution (4IR) in keeping pace with the developed countries.
Joining virtually the closing ceremony of a conference on the 4IR from her official Ganabhaban residence, she said her government has been taking various time-befitting policies and measures to face the upcoming challenges of the 4IR.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) arranged the two-day international conference on the 4th Industrial Revolution at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre from December 10, marking the Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of country's independence.
The prime minister said that the world is divided into two to create affordable and green value-chains as rich nations invent technologies and enjoy their utility, and some other countries are unable to invest in them.
She added that scientists believe that humans will have to coexist with artificial intelligence devices in near future and some new types of challenges have to be tackled.
"For example, machines will shrink the human workplace; demand for cheap labour will decrease, inequality will increase, and migration will be encouraged. Foreign investment in developing countries will reduce, and inequality in technological know-how will increase," she continued.
The premier said that the 4th Industrial Revolution International Conference is a landmark step for development in the history of Bangladesh.
Industrialization aims to improve the quality of life of the people, create a market for new products, and accelerate the pace of the economy through employment, she said.
The premier added that the groundbreaking evolution of industrialization after almost 100 consecutive years is remarkable. "Passing the first, second, and third stages, we have reached the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution," she added.
"I hope that the knowledge gained in this conference will create a strong rapport between our educational and industrial institutions. As a result, research and innovation related to the 4th Industrial Revolution will be easier to put into practice," she said.
Since the formation of the government in 1996, she said, her government has focused on establishing IT infrastructure, formulating rules, and creating skilled citizens with technology. It has also introduced computer courses at secondary and higher secondary levels and SSC (vocational) courses in one school of each upazila, she added.
"We approved the establishment of 16 private universities and founded Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Bangabandhu Agricultural University. We started the work of setting up 12 science and technology universities. We established 15 polytechnic institutes and three women's polytechnic institutes," she told the function.
The Prime Minister said they took effective measures by identifying 1176 highly polluting industries and banned two-stroke three-wheelers since 1998. Her government has withdrawn duty on all agricultural machineries, she added.
"We formulated up-to-date industrial policies to encourage the development of indigenous industries and investment. Intending to expand small and cottage industries, we established 57 industrial towns and started establishing another 13. In FY 2000-2001, we increased the power generation to 4,300 MW," she further said.
She said the 1991-95 BNP regime refused to receive free fibre optic cable connections in Bangladesh. So, the country became isolated from global information technology highways, she added.
