Focus on research, creation of basic knowledge in IT: President

President Abdul Hamid on Wednesday urged the concerned to focus more on regular research and creation of basic knowledge in the field of information technology.

He made the call while delivering his speech after the Inauguration of Digital World 2020 in Dhaka.

Bangladesh is now providing software and IT services to about 60 countries including America, a number of European nations, Canada, and Australia.

President Hamid said that IT exports have grown from 26 million to over 1 billion since 2009. It is expected that by 2024, this revenue will exceed Tk 5 billion and the contribution of software and ICT services to GDP will increase to 5 percent.

Mentioning freelancing as a new dimension to empowering the younger generation, the President said that although job opportunities in other sectors are currently declining, freelancing has created employment for many young people.

Bangladesh ranks second in the world in terms of the number of freelancers. 

"At present, there are 600,000 active freelancers in the country. However, in the freelancing profession, men, as well as women, need to be proactive so that they can move forward on an equal footing," he said.

President Hamid said that although the Coronavirus epidemic temporarily hampered our development and progress, it did not stop it because of the successful implementation of the 'Digital Bangladesh' initiative of the government.

Today, people are sitting at home reaping the benefits of the visionary commitment made by the present government in 2009 to turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country and build a knowledge-based society through the implementation of Digital Bangladesh, he said. 

He added that even in the Coronavirus situation, buying and selling at home through e-commerce, online education activities, judicial activities through virtual courts, various online services including telemedicine services have made life much easier during these difficult times. 

The e-document system introduced in the office and the court has increased the dynamism in the service activities of government institutions. This has made it easier for government services to continue and for services to reach the citizens, he added.

The 'Corona Tracer BD' mobile app has made it possible to identify risky areas. 

He said that the nationwide 'Before and After Share on the Internet' campaign to curb rumors and untrue information is very timely in the current context.

Digital World 2020 will continue with the theme "Socially distanced – digitally Connected". The theme has been chosen to highlight the impact of Covid-19 and the resilience and determination of people to combat the threat of the pandemic. 

The event will feature an award ceremony, software showcasing, freelancer conference, e-Governance Expo, ministerial conference, e-Commerce Expo, musical concert, seminars and many more.

Because of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, the event will be organised in a combination of physical and virtual modes. The physical mode of the event will be held at Bangladesh Film Archive, Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

Executive Director of Bangladesh Computer Council delivered the welcome speech while State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak presided over the programme. 

President of BASIS Syed Almas Kabir, Senior Secretary of ICT Division NM Zeaul Alam PAA, Chairman of Standing Committee for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications & Information Technology AKM Rahmatullah also delivered their speeches.

Two audiovisual presentations 'Bangabandhu - The pioneer of Information Technology of Independent Bangladesh' and 'Notable progress of ICT Sector in Bangladesh' were aired during the programme.

Secretaries concerned to the President were also present during the programme.