Business Desk :
The ICT sector in Bangladesh has grown by 40 percent annually since 2010, thanks to public and private sector initiatives, says a new report.
Bangladesh has laid down an exemplary digital foundation and is striving to prepare its citizens for the digital future, an UNCTAD assessment of the country’s readiness to engage in e-commerce shows.
The enormous growth in its information and communications technology or ICT sector and its young, dynamic and IT savvy population can only make things better, the report indicates.
“Bangladesh is fertile ground for e-commerce to take root and benefit companies and consumers alike,” said UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics, Shamika N Sirimanne, while launching the assessment report in Dhaka on Thursday.
The report is expected to inform the Bangladeshi government’s ongoing efforts to realise the vision of its digital strategy and to build a robust, safe and business-friendly e-commerce ecosystem.
The report identifies challenges that need to be addressed to ensure a better digital future, especially for the people living in rural areas, where connectivity and lack of skills hinder a truly inclusive digital development. An estimated 65 percent of the population resides in rural areas, which poses significant hurdles for both providing government services to citizens as well as integration of the rural population with the cities.
Two out of three Bangladeshis live in areas that still lack internet connectivity and less than 4 percent of the people use 4G-capable devices.
Also, last-mile delivery challenges and security concerns make operations difficult in the remotest areas, pointing to the need for improvements in trade logistics.
Efforts to tackle these and other barriers to e-commerce development should be scaled up, the report recommends.
It calls for continued concerted action between public and private sectors, increased cooperation between development partners, effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and a resource mobilization strategy.
Sirimanne said the report’s recommendations need to be mainstreamed into national strategies and private sector initiatives to advance the digitalization of Bangladesh.
“We look forward to working closely with UNCTAD to implement the actions suggested in the report,” said State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
The ICT sector in Bangladesh has grown by 40 percent annually since 2010, thanks to public and private sector initiatives, says a new report.
Bangladesh has laid down an exemplary digital foundation and is striving to prepare its citizens for the digital future, an UNCTAD assessment of the country’s readiness to engage in e-commerce shows.
The enormous growth in its information and communications technology or ICT sector and its young, dynamic and IT savvy population can only make things better, the report indicates.
“Bangladesh is fertile ground for e-commerce to take root and benefit companies and consumers alike,” said UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics, Shamika N Sirimanne, while launching the assessment report in Dhaka on Thursday.
The report is expected to inform the Bangladeshi government’s ongoing efforts to realise the vision of its digital strategy and to build a robust, safe and business-friendly e-commerce ecosystem.
The report identifies challenges that need to be addressed to ensure a better digital future, especially for the people living in rural areas, where connectivity and lack of skills hinder a truly inclusive digital development. An estimated 65 percent of the population resides in rural areas, which poses significant hurdles for both providing government services to citizens as well as integration of the rural population with the cities.
Two out of three Bangladeshis live in areas that still lack internet connectivity and less than 4 percent of the people use 4G-capable devices.
Also, last-mile delivery challenges and security concerns make operations difficult in the remotest areas, pointing to the need for improvements in trade logistics.
Efforts to tackle these and other barriers to e-commerce development should be scaled up, the report recommends.
It calls for continued concerted action between public and private sectors, increased cooperation between development partners, effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and a resource mobilization strategy.
Sirimanne said the report’s recommendations need to be mainstreamed into national strategies and private sector initiatives to advance the digitalization of Bangladesh.
“We look forward to working closely with UNCTAD to implement the actions suggested in the report,” said State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
