Task force lays out 5 recommendations to embrace digital economy
The report presented some facts from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), which showed the digital divide that exists in the country
The Task Force Report on Re-strategising the Economy and Mobilising Resources for Equitable and Sustainable Development has put forward five recommendations for embracing the digital economy.
Education and Planning Adviser Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud handed over the task force's report to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the Chief Adviser's Office in Tejgaon yesterday (30 January).
The 12-member task force was formed on 10 September to reframe the development strategies, find out leakages in the financial system and restore discipline in project implementation.
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According to the report, the recommendations include enhancing efficiency and accountability in delivering citizen services and promoting good governance and institutional transparency across different types of organisations.
The other recommendations are harness technology to address scarcity of skilled manpower, achieve and sustain global competitiveness in different export sectors and generate quality employment opportunities.
In the report, three essential pillars have been introduced to embrace digital economy, which are reduction of digital divide, establishing a reliable and resilient digital public infrastructure and supporting a strong digital service industry.
The report presented some facts from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), which showed the digital divide that exists in the country.
It said 98.7% households in the country have mobile phones while 70% households have smartphones.
Among these households, 9.2% have computers, while only 50.4% have internet connections, BBS data showed.
At the individual level, 64.1% have mobile phones, 8.9% have computers and 45.7% have internet connections, according to BBS data presented in the report by the task force.
The same data showed that people do not use internet more due to rising costs.
In urban areas, 17% people do not use internet due to costs, while in rural areas the rate is 21%.
The report also compared the reasons of using the internet by Bangladeshi people with India, which showed that while 45% Bangladeshi individuals use internet for educational purposes, the rate is 63% for India.
In the report, the United States topped the list of export destination for digital services by Bangladeshis, while Japan came out second.
