Bangladesh-Malaysia to work jointly to develop digital economy, IT skills

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak expressed hope that Bangladesh and Malaysia will work more intensively together in the future on the development of the digital economy, investment in IT skills, and development of the Muslim tourism sector.

He expressed his optimism during a courtesy meeting with Dr Syed Hamid Albar, the chairman of the World Islamic Economic Forum, and Haznah Md Hashim, Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, at ICT Tower in Agargaon in the capital on Wednesday, says a press release.

The courtesy meeting explored mutual areas of interest for future partnerships and collaborations in avenues of knowledge exchange, 4IR, and startup opportunities between the two countries.

Palak said the existing relationship between the two brotherly countries will be strengthened in the coming days by exchanging innovative innovations and knowledge sharing. “Projects are being implemented to create a supportive environment for the development of the digital economy in Bangladesh and to expand the domestic information and communication technology industry towards SMART Bangladesh Vision-2041,” he added.

He expressed optimism about the enormous potential of freelancers and startups to explore capacity development in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, nanotechnology, and cyber security.

Urging the World Islamic Economic Forum and the Malaysian government to collaborate in developing a mutually beneficial capacity development work plan, he said, “To create skilled manpower and job opportunities through the formulation of strategies and action plans to deal with the fourth industrial revolution, the government is working on various innovative initiatives in the IT sector of Bangladesh, especially in the startup, e-commerce, and freelancing sectors.”

The World Islamic Economic Forum and the government of Malaysia can come forward to work in partnership with the government of Bangladesh to improve the capabilities of these entrepreneurs on cutting-edge technology, added the ICT State Minister.

Praising the unprecedented progress of Bangladesh in its journey towards digital transformation, Syed Hamid Albar said that the two brotherly countries can work together to develop ICT skills and exchange programs between nations for youth in education.