The government will set up two Digital Economy hubs for the ICT industry to create conducive environment for digital economy by providing policy support, implementing upskilling and reskilling initiatives and coordinating on digital technologies.  The digital economy hub will be set up on the premises of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and Bangladesh Association of Contact Center and Outsourcing (BACCO) would also develop a comprehensive institutional framework and system for the digital economy ecosystem that would benefit all businesses. Read: Chattogram to be built as IT business hub: Palak Two separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were signed  on Wednesday in this regard between the World Bank financed Enhancing Digital Government Economy (EDGE) Project of BCC and BASIS, along with BACCO at the auditorium of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC). EDGE Project Director Nahid Sultana Mallik, BASIS President Russel T. Ahmed and BACCO President Wahid Sharif inked the MoUs on behalf of their respective sides in the presence of State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and World Bank Regional Project Director Pankaj Gupta. The MoU signing  was followed by a seminar on ‘`Effective Partnership Among Industry, Academia, and Government for Smart Bangladesh’, which was addressed, among others by, BASIS President Russel T. Ahmed, BACCO President Wahid Sharif, EDGE Policy Adviser Abdul Bari. State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak unveiled the cover of the newsletter titled: `Tech Insight,’ published by EDGE Project and edited by its Communication Specialist Ajit Kumar Sarkar at the function. Read: Skoot-Walton to work on production of high-tech e-bikes Some 120 appointment letters were also handed over to those who were hired by different companies under the Hire and Train programme of the EDGE project,  After the agreement was signed, Zunaid Ahmed Palak revealed the significant progress in the past decade towards achieving a Digital Bangladesh and highlighted the robust growth of the country’s digital economy. After the successful implementation of Digital Bangladesh, the government has been implementing various programmes in line with the 'Smart Bangladesh' vision as announced by visionary leader Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Palak said. He also said the main objective of the government is to introduce Bangladesh as an intelligent and innovative nation by 2041. The ICT state minister said the government is going to establish 10 Research and Innovation Centers (RICs) in 10 public and private universities. The frontier tech-based research and innovations of these RICs will help create entrepreneurs which would create huge employment in the country, he added. Read: IT Competition for Youths with Disabilities ends Palak said the government designed the EDGE project aiming to create frontier technology-based human resources to cope with the fourth industrial revolution. One lakh graduates will be provided with training on frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, blockchain, 3D, he said. Commending the active participation of the private sector in the implementation of Digital Bangladesh, Pankaj Gupta emphasized that fostering a strong partnership among industry, academia and government is very crucial to nurture a thriving digital economy. As per the agreement, the involved parties will foster collaboration to develop a comprehensive system and institutional framework for the digital economy ecosystem. This framework is poised to bring about substantial advantages for a wide spectrum of entities, including enterprises, startups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), both in rural and urban domains, the agreement said. It said (agreement) EDGE project will work closely with BASIS and BACCO to select its member companies to participate in many of the capacity development programs, and develop strategy, policy, research & innovation, and intellectual property for the software/IT sector. Read: 24 students receive ‘Huawei BUET ICT Academy’ certification They will also develop content and building capacity of relevant DE stakeholders on 4IR, relevant for software, IT/ ITES segment of the digital economy (DE) and develop and manage partnerships with various local and international organizations for knowledge and resource sharing on 4IR, the agreement mentioned.

At an online media roundtable recently, Chinese telecom giant Huawei reiterated its commitment to empowering the green and sustainable future of the digital economy in Asia-Pacific (APAC). To create a greener and more sustainable digital world, Huawei will increase investment in sustainable green solutions, leveraging clean power generation, electric transportation, and smart energy storage, to support APAC's goals of cutting carbon emissions, promoting renewable energy, and contributing to a circular economy, according to Jay Chen, vice-president of Huawei APAC. Read: Huawei brings seven new devices for smart experience At that media session arranged during MWC 2022 Barcelona, he said: "At Huawei, we are working closely with carriers and partners from around the world to explore solutions that help make life better, businesses smarter, and society more inclusive. We'd also love to share how our ICT technology is helping make the world a greener, more sustainable place." In 2021, Huawei announced to support the digital ecosystem in APAC and shared that it would invest $50 million to develop 500,000 digital talents for the region in the next five years and would invest $100 million over three years to cultivate the startup ecosystem. Read Seeds for the Future winners visit Huawei Bangladesh headquarters

The International Development Association (IDA), a concern of the World Bank, will extend USD $ 295 million Scale Up Facility (SUF) loan to Bangladesh for enhancing digital government & economy (EDGE) projects. The project will be implemented by Bangladesh Computer Council under ICT Division. The implementation period of this project has been fixed from January 01, 2022 to December 31, 2026. Read: Urban plastic consumption triples in 15 years: World Bank The objectives of this project are to improve cyber security, build resiliency during future crises, and will enable the government to operate virtually to deliver critical public services to citizens and businesses. The project will also work to reduce vulnerabilities from the pandemic and prepare for the fourth industrial revolution. The project will also help to digitize small and medium enterprises and strategic industries and to establish a Digital Leadership Academy to create opportunities for research and development. Read: World Bank announces US$ 93 billion support for poor countries A deal in this regard was signed on Sunday. Fatima Yasmin, ERD secretary, and Mercy Miyang Tembon, country director, World Bank, signed the financing agreement on behalf of their respective sides. The loan is to be repaid in 34 years with a grace period of 04 years. The frontend fee is 0.25 per cent, the commitment charge is 0.25 per cent and the interest charge is URIBOR+0.98 per cent. The EURIBOR is short for Euro Interbank Offered Rate.

The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday cleared the ‘Enhancing Digital Government and Economy (EDGE)’ project involving a huge amount of Tk 2541.64 crore, aiming to turn Bangladesh into a digital economy. Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division will implement the project in the country by December 2026 with the World Bank’s finance of Tk 2507.05 crore and the government’s finance of Tk 34.59 crore. The approval of 10 projects placed by eight ministries came from the Ecnec meeting held with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Read: Govt to spend Tk 4,167cr on 10 projects, Ecnec gives nod The PM joined the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban, while others were concerned from the NEC conference room in the city. “A total of 10 projects -- five new and five revised ones -- were approved in today's meeting. The total estimated cost of the projects is Tk 7447.07 crore (only additional costs of revised projects were counted here),” said Planning Minister MA Mannan while briefing reporters after the meeting. Of the total cost, Tk 3,682.28 crore will be borne from the government fund, while Tk 153.81 crore will come from the funds of an organisation concerned and Tk 3,610.98 from foreign sources as soft loans, he said. Talking about the EDGE project, Planning Commission’s member Nasima Begum said the remaining works of building Digital Bangladesh will be done under the project. The main project objective is to create a digital economy-friendly environment and provide policy support for development of the digital economy and thus face the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution by designing the strategies and action plans as well as creating skilled manpower and employment scopes. The major operations of the EDGE project include procurement of ICT technology, software, office equipment and vehicles; procurement of consultancy services; training and research on digital economy and block allocation for facing post-Covid situation.

The Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is going to have an event on November 21 to commemorate the 50 years of Bangladesh’s Independence with a roadmap for FDI and facilitating the economic progress of Bangladesh with three growth drivers. A research report titled “3 Growth Drivers of Bangladesh: Accelerating Investment Opportunities in Agribusiness, Digital Economy and Green Finance” will be unveiled at the event. Planning Minister MA Mannan will be present at the programme as the chief guest, while Salman F Rahman, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to Prime Minister will join it as special guest. Read: Growth target achievable if GDP-Investment ratio increases: FICCI Shwapna Bhowmick, EC Member of FICCI and Country Manager of Marks and Spencer will chair the event.

 

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has underlined the need for enhanced global policy cooperation to provide decent work opportunities and foster sustainable business growth in "digital economy".

Trade ministers and business leaders from across the Commonwealth will gather virtually on November 23 to examine how they can work together to spur a digitally-inclusive and green recovery in the face of devastating economic impacts linked to Covid-19.

Private mobile operator Robi now has 50 million subscribers.

A 26-member National 5G Committee has been formed with Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as chairman to coordinate 5G development and boost the country’s digital economy.