On ‘World Telecommunication and Information Society Day,’ Grameenphone and The Daily Star on Tuesday held a webinar on “Accelerating Digital Transformation During Challenging Times.”
The webinar aimed to shed light on the increasing importance of digital transformation to deal with adverse conditions during the pandemic, particularly showing technology’s potential impact on minimizing the usage gap, said a press release.
Local and international speakers participated in the event, stressing the need for digital transformation for socioeconomic activities in the new technology-focused era due to Covid-19. They emphasized that now is the time to embrace these changes and employ technology to aid in developing Bangladesh and mitigating Covid-19.
They added that both the government and private sectors must come forward to present strategies for sustainable digital transformation.
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Division Mustafa Jabbar participated as the chief guest with BTRC Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder as a special guest.
Regional Director of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for Asia and the Pacific Atsuko Okuda presented the keynote speech, with the Acting CEO and Chief Digital and Strategy Officer at Grameenphone Limited Solaiman Alam present.
Other participants who shared their insights included: Anir Chowdhury, policy advisor of A2i; Nihad Kabir, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka (MCCI); Syed Almas Kabir, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS); Selim RF Hussain, CEO of Brac Bank; Syed Mohammad Kamal, country manager of Mastercard Bangladesh, Mominul Islam, CEO of IPDC Finance Ltd.; and Adnan Imtiaz Halim, CEO of Sheba XyZ.
Head of Communications at Grameenphone Khairul Basher moderated the webinar.
As the keynote speaker, Okuda delivered her speech focusing on the Connect 2030 Agenda, a global vision for developing the ICT sector to connect everyone for a better world. She highlighted five strategic goals of the plan and described eight critical areas of action for digital cooperation.
She also commented on various topics, including an overview of global ICT indicators, Bangladesh’s digital achievements, mobile broadband subscription rate in South Asian countries, multiple ICT enablers and barriers, ITU global cybersecurity index, e-government survey, connecting school through Giga, pandemic-induced digital educational inequalities, and further suggestions.
After the presentation, experts and industry insiders spoke about different aspects of digital transformation to stimulate growth in the ICT sector and allow stakeholders to tackle challenges, concentrating on the Connect 2030 Agenda goals.
Minister of the Posts and Telecommunications Division Jabbar said, “we have to upskill the youth by collaborating with the stakeholders to harness the full potentiality of the digital world.”
“We have proved that digital transformation is one of the major vehicles to tackle [crises] like Covid-19 … This is the time for cooperation,” he added.
Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Shyam Sunder Sikder contributed, “We are committed to maximizing the benefits of digital transformation in line with the SDGs; that’s why we are facilitating the telecom companies so that uninterrupted service can be ensured.”
Acting CEO and Chief Digital and Strategy Officer Solaiman Alam concluded saying, “As a connectivity partner to Digital Bangladesh, we have a pivotal role in democratizing technological dividend for people from all walks of life.”
“This type of access to connectivity will empower the youth greatly, and they will, in turn, shape our future. We just need to ensure we are preparing them with the right tools and mindset.”
