The government has taken steps to expand high speed internet connectivity, produce IT-skilled human resources and set up world standard IT-based industries to turn Bangladesh into an IT-based economy in near future, reports BSS.
Government officials disclosed the information at concluding ceremony of the daylong ‘Learning and Earning Fair-2017’ held at Public Library ground here on Tuesday afternoon. The ICT Division under its Learning and Earning Development Project organised the fair in cooperation with the local district administration.
Hundreds of people, mostly youths thronged the fair, where 40 ICT-based organisations set up stalls showcasing various innovations, outsourcing devises and software to inspire the youths in freelancing for learning and earning activities.
Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hasan Ahmed attended the concluding ceremony as chief guest with Deputy Commissioner Rahat Anwar in the chair. General Secretary of Rangpur city unit of Awami League Tushar Kanti Mandal was present as special guest.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the government was providing world class training to youngsters under Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment and Governance Project of the ICT Division to make them IT-skilled professionals.
“Bangladesh has enormous young human resources, 65 per cent of total population as demographic dividend and we will move forward through properly utilising them when the present world faces deficit of young workforces,” he said.
The chief guest said that it was challenging but not impossible to earn 5 billion US $ from IT industry as steps were taken to produce more one million international standard IT specialists to raise number of jobs in the sector to two million by 2021.
“Those days are not far away when IT-skilled youths will become international standard professionals to work globally sitting at IT Park to be set up in Rangpur as well as in other IT Parks in the country to build a middle income digital Bangladesh,” he said. He hoped that the IT professionals would produce world standard hardware, software and services for marketing those to earn foreign exchange through outsourcing in switching over to the talent and technology based economy from labour-based one in future.
