Time to focus on ‘Bangladesh Model’ moving from ‘Bangladesh Miracle’: Radwan Mujib

Radwan Mujib Siddiq has said it is time to move on from referring to the 'Bangladesh Miracle' and start focusing on the 'Bangladesh Model' as Bangladesh seeks to consolidate its position as a middle-income country.

In his editorial note of the 4th issue of WhiteBoard, country's first ever policy-based magazine, Radwan said as embodied by Vision 2021 and Digital Bangladesh, this model is anchored on people-centric policies that ensure the much-needed trickle-down effect to produce distributive justice.

In the latest issue of WhiteBoard, Radwan said they look at what needs to be done to take the next step in Bangladesh's innovation journey.

"We will strive to provide a space where voices, both old and new, can continue debating the most pressing policy choices in Bangladesh," said Radwan, grandson of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

WhiteBoard is published by the think-tank Centre for Research and Information (CRI) to generate ideas for a comprehensive debate on critical national issues (https://whiteboardmagazine.com/2362/its-time-to-focus-on-the-model-not-t...)

The fourth quarter issue of this magazine was released on Thursday, marking one year of its journey.

Pointing to the inclusion and introduction of Digital Bangladesh as an ambitious plan to leverage the country-wide usage of ICT expansion, Radwan said "Digital Bangladesh" was more than just hardware, software and connectivity.

"It embodied the very spirit of Vision 2021 – innovation, resilience and resourcefulness. Most significantly, both Vision 2021 and Digital Bangladesh were models of people-centric development. They were developed with an intricate understanding of the needs, capacity and characteristics of the population they were designed to benefit," reads the editorial note from Radwan.

Radwan, a strategy consultant and youth advocate, said Digital Bangladesh was neither top down nor bottom up; it was top to bottom. "It was everywhere at once, and the whole country was the target user group".

Radwan Mujib Siddiq is also the driving force behind path -breaking political history projects such as the graphic novel Mujib and Hasina: A Daughter's Tale, a docu-film.

So far 'WhiteBoard' issues have focused on policy issues of the Mujib-era, Corona-related challenges and lessons from Bangladesh's journey since independence.

The fourth issue focuses on innovation and financial inclusion gaps in Bangladesh.

In this issue, internationally acclaimed blockchain regulation guru and Harvard faculty Primavera De Filippi along with Morshed Mannan wrote an in-depth article on the legal framework for blockchain implementation which Bangladesh has totally missed.

Policymaker Anir Chowdhury of the Prime Minister's Office also contributed an idea-driven article on the possible contours of Digital Bangladesh 2.0.

Another young development entrepreneur Fahad Ifaz, founder of a agro-startup iFarmers, did a detailed analysis on why Bangladesh is drifting away from agriculture.

Fahad, an Acumen Fellow, wrote, "It is absolutely critical to mobilise investment in the future of farming with smart farming and precision-agriculture."