It is unfortunate that international technological development is not having the same impact on our country as it does globally. Furthermore, this is especially frustrating for a nation that has its eyes on undergoing a full digital transformation within the next decade.
The whole world is embracing the integration of technology into their day-to-day lives. If Bangladesh fails to follow suit, this will lead to a game of catch up that will set us back for years to come.
As such, the Ministry of Commerce has prepared a policy paper to highlight the roadblocks that we are running into when it comes to dealing with this issue. The two most important faults that have been identified in our current adaptation process are weak needs assessment and technology assessment which hamper our ability to effectively implement global practices on a local scale.
This flaw became especially blatant during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the examples set down by the international communities, the government tried to host classes of school going children and university students over the internet. While this worked out great for the privileged, they are still a minority when compared to the overall population of the country.
Proper need and technology assessment would have resulted in the uncovering of the fact that most households don't even have access to the internet, let alone individual electronic devices. This is something that is also highlighted when it comes to the increasing reliance on the internet for job screenings, something that creates barriers for a huge portion of the population.
If we want to fully utilize technology, we have to pay more attention to the process of implementation. Committees need to be set up specifically with the task of assessing needs and technological implementation. Their work has to be independently audited on a recurring basis, and course corrections have to be done when necessary.
If we fail to follow suit, we will be playing catch-up for years to come. We must avoid that.
