It is encouraging that Bangladesh has statistically seen considerable improvement in terms of innovation. As per the Global Innovation Index 2022, the country moved up to the 102nd place from its 116th place in 2021.
The comprehensive report indicated that Bangladesh's progress up the ranks matched expectations, considering its rate of development.
Bangladesh has demonstrated undeniable growth in aspects such as industrial design, creation of mobile apps, and global brand value, and while these can certainly be considered key to increased creative advancement, we are yet to adopt a collective innovation-based approach.
Furthermore, there has been little, or even negative, growth in areas such as human capital research, and market and business sophistication -- all of which add considerable weight to a country's overall performance.
A prominent factor in rankings as such remains the quality of education of a nation, along with proper infrastructure and innovation ecosystem -- which we are still, unfortunately, lagging behind in.
In order to build a nation fueled by innovation, it is of the highest priority that we establish a solid foundation, and foster a culture that promotes and facilitates all sectors of the nation to move forward in harmony.
The steady progress we continue to make as a nation is truly laudable, but to reach the goals that we have set for ourselves, there is no alternative to implementing an all-encompassing culture of innovation -- with necessary financial and administrative support.
It goes without saying that there are areas in need of drastic reform, and only when we consider the larger picture can we truly build an innovative nation.