We succeeded in making digital Bangladesh: Palak

Bangladesh is the second largest country in online sources of workers and achieved the success of becoming Digital Bangladesh, and based on the success, Bangladesh wants to build a sustainable, knowledge-based and innovative "Smart Bangladesh" by 2041, said State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak while speaking at "Meet the Press" programme which highlighted the details of hosting the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) organised "Meet the Press" at the BCC Auditorium, ICT Tower, Agargaon, Dhaka on Sunday. 

Bangladesh is this year's host country for ICPC – the most respected and prestigious international contest for solving computer programming problems for university level students.

Palak said this event is a great opportunity to showcase our capabilities in ICT. At the same time, it is also an opportunity to establish contact with the current leadership of the future ICT leaders of our country.

Palak further said, "In 13 years we have improved a lot in the ICT sector. We had only five million internet users 13 years ago which are now 130 million. There was no ICT industry, exports in the technology sector were only $26 million. Now, it comes to $1.4 billion every year from software, hardware and service sectors."

More than 1,000 foreign guests arrived in Bangladesh for ICPC, reads a press release.

The contest is organised almost every year especially for the young generation, which started in 1970. The 45th edition of ICPC is led by the ICT Division of Bangladesh where the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) of the ICT Division is acting as the executing agency and the University of Asia Pacific (UAP), Bangladesh is the host university of this contest.

ICPC Foundation along with BCC and the host university, University of Asia Pacific (UAP), are the principal organisers of the 45th ICPC World Finals Dhaka. All the activities aimed at organising this event in Bangladesh have been completed, and last-minute preparations are underway. This programme will be inaugurated on Tuesday.

William B Poucher, president of the ICPC Foundation and ICPC Executive Director was also present at the Press Briefing.  

"ICPC is a competition for the universities of the world. Our mission is to uplift every class to build on our strengths of a better world for future generations. And that requires a commitment to excellence," said William B Poucher.