This week’s visit to Dhaka by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales was an encouraging milestone for ICT professionals in the country.
It came amid news that a San Francisco-based start-up plans to employ up to 7,000 Bangladeshis by 2018 in using Google Glass technology to process the transcribing of US medical records.
When taken with the announcement in November that Fenox, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, is raising a $200m fund to invest in Bangladeshi IT businesses, these are indications that the world is taking notice of the huge potential Bangladesh has to use technology as a catalyst for economic growth.
As Wikipedia itself demonstrates, the spread of technological advance does not only improve productivity and open up new opportunities for businesses, but can be applied to bring many social benefits in education and development.
The leveling impact of the Internet shows its power most in the changes it brings to the lives of ordinary people. From farmers receiving up to date information about market prices to the rapid take up of mobile financial services, benefits are being seen across the entire nation.
It is vital the government makes strategic use of its digital initiatives to focus on facilitating rather than prescribing ICT development. Developing better training to grow the country’s IT skills base, improving infrastructure and making electronic payments easier are the areas where the government can accomplish most to give a lift to encouraging investment in the IT sector.
This is the best way to encourage entrepreneurs to develop new services and create new jobs.
