Now is the time for Bangladesh to connect with Europe over 4th Industrial Revolution

The present time is suitable for Bangladesh to connect at the expert and institutional level of European countries, including Belgium and Luxembourg, to achieve the goal of playing a leading role in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Bangladeshi Ambassador to Belgium Mahbub Hassan Saleh said this at a webinar organised by the Bangladesh Embassy in Brussels on Saturday on the occasion of the fourth Digital Bangladesh Day.

To this end, he expressed his determination to take some specific initiatives through the embassy with the help of the authorities concerned of the government, read a press release.

Held for the first time in Belgium, the webinar was attended by young professionals working in the ICT and technology sector of the Bangladesh community working in Brussels and Antwerp. They placed special emphasis on creating an integrated database of immigrant ICT professionals working in different countries in Europe.

At the same time, they suggested increasing institutional cooperation in various fields including student exchanges as well as internships between public and private universities of Bangladesh with ICT related educational institutions of other European countries including Belgium.

They also recommended the introduction of mentorship programmes with local universities and interested businesses involving European-based migrant professionals.

They suggested that to increase the employment opportunities of ICT trained manpower on the European market, the ICT curriculum in Bangladesh should include the latest innovations in: artificial intelligence, robotics, automated transport, information on job opportunities in ICT and technology.

In light of the recommendations of the speakers, Ambassador Saleh expressed his interest in joining such platforms regularly and exchanging views with the professionals concerned.

Participating in the webinar, Dr Bikarna Kumar Ghosh, Additional Secretary, ICT Department, gave an overview of the progress made in the implementation of Digital Bangladesh and called upon expatriate professionals to be involved in the government's fourth industrial revolution programme.

Mohammad Nazmul Huda, director general, Commerce, Investment, Frontiers Technology and ICT Division, Ministry of External Affairs, emphasised the importance of the ICT sector in the field of economic diplomacy and requested expatriate professionals to assist Bangladesh embassies with the necessary recommendations and advice.

Speakers at the webinar gratefully recalled the contribution of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the visionary of Digital Bangladesh, and Sajeeb Wazed, the Prime Minister's ICT Adviser, and reiterated their commitment to implementing Vision 2041.