Bangladesh State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak has stated that in order to increase the country's self-reliant, the ICT department is developing its own social media platform, ‘Jogajog,' as an alternative to Facebook, and a messaging platform, ‘Alapan,' as a competitor to WhatsApp.
He stated that this will enable the country's entrepreneurs to establish their own online marketplace and group for information, data, and communication. It will also reduce their dependency on foreign technology and platforms.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at Women e-(WI) Commerce's inaugural event of the ‘Entrepreneurship Masterclass Series 2' on Saturday.
“The ICT department has already developed a substitute ‘meeting' online platform for Zoom Online, as well as a vaccine management system called ‘Safety' apps to prevent corona,” Palak explained. Women-owned e-commerce businesses will benefit from this platform, he stated.
He gave detailed information on various digital-oriented projects including the online streaming platforms.
Noting that a digital e-commerce policy was formulated in 2018, the state minister stated that the government is providing various assistance to youth, including policy support, in order to create millions of entrepreneurs in the country.
“By 2021, we want to create 20 lakh jobs in the ICT sector,” Palak stated, adding that over 15 lakh jobs have been created successfully.
He added that when the e-commerce, hardware, software, and business process outsourcing sectors work together, they will be able to meet the target of over 20 million jobs by 2021. Additionally, five billion US dollars in export revenue will be possible by 2025.
According to the state minister, the first obstacle to becoming an entrepreneur is having the courage to take risks. He urged women entrepreneurs to approach innovation with integrity, commitment, and transparency.
Rezaul Maqsood Jahedi, Additional Director General, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Soumya Basu, CEO of Silk Global and Wee's Global Adviser, Nasima Akter Nisha, Wee's Founding President, and Kabir Shakib, Wee's Advisor, were all present during the programme.
