The Symposium Talk, a core activity of the “National Symposium on Industry-Academia Collaboration for ICT-enabled Bangladesh”, provided an interactive platform for prominent leaders and experts to meet and discuss the changing landscape of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Bangladesh. The event was held on November 9, 2024, at Khulna University and highlighted the need for closer linkages between universities and industrial stakeholders. Participants also got vision-based inspiration from speakers about the prospects of ICT in different sectors to lead Bangladesh into prosperous years ahead.
Spotlight on Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan: “Building the Government of Tomorrow”
Mr. Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan, the Director of eGP at Dohatec, delivered an impressive session titled “Building the Government of Tomorrow: Collaborative Efforts between the Software Industry and Government for Sustainable National Development.” In the speech, he outlined a new vision of governance focused on transparency, accountability, and citizens at the centre.
He discussed Dohatec’s significant contributions to electronic Government Procurement (eGP) systems and showed how eGP systems help make public procurement processes more efficient, decrease corruption, and facilitate the efficient utilization of resources. His speech also had a significant theme of digital transformation, with e-governance initiatives enabling citizen services, including online land registration. He also discussed the Multi-Biometric De-duplication project Dohatec has done with the Bangladesh Army. It was done to help the National Election of 2008, and it was the world’s largest voter enrollment and de-duplication at that time. He also talked about Dohatec’s another project for the Government of Bangladesh, the e-PMIS. Electronic-Project Management Information System (e-PMIS) of Bangladesh is a software platform that helps organizations manage, store, and share project-related information electronically.
Mr. Nazmul also said many government systems have become obsolete. He said such systems needed modernization in terms of technology and protection of essential data. He also stressed the need for training programmes to train government employees in digital skills and partner with private sector actors for their experience. Focusing on these aspects can enhance public service delivery’s efficiency, transparency, governance and accountability.
Summary of Other Speakers
There were some interesting speakers at the Symposium. For starters, Mohammad Tawrit, the CEO of BdREN, emphasised industry-academia collaboration and its time effect. Mahmud Hasan Rana, the Director of cloud-native technologies from Oracle, explored why we should use Cloud-Native Technologies to Modernize IT Infrastructure. NerdDevs team member Md. Sohel Rana shared his journey from programmer to entrepreneur, which was truly inspirational.
Mohammad Oli Ahad of Intelligent Machines Limited examined AI’s ability to reshape many industries. Engr. Md. Tomig Uddin Ahmed from the Ministry of Planning outlined career opportunities in government services. Md. Nadim Saker from Optimizely highlighted the importance of software quality assurance. Lastly, Md. Amanur Rahman from National Bank Limited shared his thoughts on the bright future for IT professionals in banks. He created a bit of positivity and motivation regarding job prospects in this field.
Conclusion
The Symposium Talk was A platform to exchange ideas on the role of ICT in Bangladesh. During his presentation, Mr Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan indicated a need to update archaic government systems through the adoption of new state-of-the-art technology to ensure efficiency and security. He stressed how e-governance initiatives, like online land registration, can enhance service delivery to citizens whilst curbing corruption. Mr Bhuiyan further emphasized that public-private partnerships are necessary to thrive in innovation and execute real-world solutions that will lead to a better digital Bangladesh.