State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Tuesday said that the investors from countries like the USA, Japan, Singapore and India have invested over $800 million in the Bangladeshi market in the past six years to generate an innovation ecosystem.
“Our objective now is to generate an innovation ecosystem in Bangladesh, where entrepreneurs and start-ups will thrive. And the ground is ready, with investors from countries like USA, Japan, Singapore and India investing over $800 million in our market in the past 6 years,” he said as the guest speaker of a Masterclass session of GP Academy held at the GP House in Dhaka.
“The government has also invested $50 million, as in the next 18 years, we want to create a knowledge-based economy like Silicon Valley did in the past,” the State Minister said, adding that the country will witness a rapid shift from labour to tech-based economies in the next ten years.
“We want to make the internet and digital services affordable and available and create awareness for it. In the next 5 to 10 years, we will witness a rapid shift from labour-based economies to tech-based economies, and we must act immediately to align ourselves accordingly”, Palak stated.
Over 300 young students from various backgrounds pre-registered and participated in the Masterclass session where the State Minister outlined the structure of Smart Bangladesh.
He pointed out that even 18 years back, there had been a lack of fast and affordable connectivity solutions in Bangladesh. But following the government’s steadfast approach, backed by Grameenphone and similar organisations’ support, now there are over 127 million internet users in Bangladesh, enjoying seamless internet connectivity.
