4th Industrial Revolution to be a Driving Force for National Development in Bangladesh

eGeneration, one of the leading IT consulting and Software solutions company of Bangladesh organized a roundtabletitled “4th Industrial Revolution – Are we ready”at BRAC Inn Auditorium on Saturday. Mustafa Jabbar, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology was present as the Chief Guest at the roundtable. Mushfiq Ahmed, Director, Digital Tranformation of eGenerationpresented keynoteon “Machine age- 4th Industrial Revolution”. The keynote presentation was followed by open panel discussion participated by all speakers.Osama Taseer, President, DCCI; Mustafizur Rahman, Project Director, A2i andAbdullah H Kafi, Immediate Past President, Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) were present as special guests. The roundtable had participations of Anis A Khan, Managing Director, Mutual Trust Bank Limited, Naimuzzaman Mukta, People’s Perspective Specialist, a2i; A B M Hamidul Mishbah, Director, eGeneration; Celin Shahnaz, Professor, Department of EEE, BUET; Lafifa Jamal, President, BWITand other key personnel from different sectors. The multi-stakeholder roundtable was chaired by Shameem Ahsan, Chairman of eGeneration Group.

Shameem Ahsan, Chairman of eGeneration Group said, “The very primary phase of fourth industrial revolution is already here in Bangladesh as the local IT companies have started making solutions using disruptive technologies like block chain, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence etc. We need to develop a thriving ecosystem like Shenzhen, China to establish Bangladesh as the next production hub – from ideation to manufacturing. In order for us to stay relevant as globally as nature of works changes, it is important that we invest in building resilient leadership, transferable skills, innovation mindset and adaptability among people. This is bringing new momentum for breakthrough development and a golden opportunity for Bangladesh to access and catch up the scientific and technological advancements towards promoting its economic growth.”

Speaking at the roundtable, Mustafa Jabbar, Honorable Minister said, “Many countries are following our footsteps for the way we have set ourselves apart in drafting a comprehensive and complete digital security act, establishing unprecedented Union Digital Centers, properly defining, following and achieving Digital Bangladesh milestones and through other digital transformation initiatives by the Government.Reflecting on the topic that we are discussing I can confidently say that Bangladesh is ready to embrace 4th industrial revolution. We are putting major focus on ICT education and preparing human resources the revolution would require. Ensuring digital security also has high priority.”

Osama Taseer, President, DCCI said, The fourth industrial revolution can power sustainable development if we can implement it in right way. Adopting Smart manufacturing, analytics and IoT can give a new lease of life to industrialization in Bangladesh.

Mustafizur Rahman, Project Director, A2i said, We are addressing the 4th industrial revolution challenges with “Skill for Employment” program. There is unfortunately no requisition from the industry to academia on what are the knowledge or skills industry needs. We must work on bridging the industry-academia skill gap.

Abdullah H Kafi, Immediate Past President of ASOCIO said, We need to have short term and long term plans to make ourselves ready for this technology revolution. In 3-4 years we must ensure policy and infrastructural framework for cyber security. Children who are in schools now, when they enter the workplace, will need to be familiar with a host of new groundbreaking technologies. We need to start equipping them to meet the needs of workplace in the future for longer term.

Musfique Ahmed, Director, Digital Tranformation of eGeneration said, Industry 4.0, the next industrial revolution is more than just a flashy buzzword.Globally the idea of connected manufacturing or smart factory is becoming increasingly pervasive. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is well underway in Bangladesh as well.Consumers and businesses areadopting technologies involving AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, data analytics etc. For Bangladesh, the Fourth Industrial Revolution brings tremendous opportunities to leapfrog many stages of development, hastening its journey towards becoming a developed economy.

The roundtable powered by eGeneration gathered decision making authorities from the Government and leaders across different spheres of private sector to exchange and share visions as well as strategies for policy, research, application and technological development in the sectors that Bangladesh needs to accelerate in the coming time.