The biggest ICT exposition in Bangladesh, 'Digital World 2017' concluded on Saturday (Dec 9) visited by atleast five lakh people, mostly youths. With its slogan 'Ready For Tomorrow', the four-day ICT exposition started on Wednesday at Bangabandhu International Conference Center at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka with a total of 502 stalls of 300 organisations.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the mega event.
50 seminars and conferences were held as part of the fair focusing on different aspects of the country's IT sector. The main attraction of the Digital World was Techtalk with humanoid robot Sophia.
At the concluding ceremony, a total 47 persons and organisations from different sectors were awarded for ICT-related innovation, innovative ideas or innovative use of ICT.
Speaking at the concluding function, Finance Minister A M A Muhith said Bangladesh has been able to reach the Digital World because of the country's young generation. He hoped that Bangladesh will also be able to develop its own lifelike robot 'Sophia' at the next Digital World in 2018.
State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak, who presided over the closing ceremony, said Bangladesh will soon become an IT hardware-exporting country. He said the government is now setting up 28 IT parks in the country, which will create jobs for 30 lakh youths by 2021.
Palak also said they are working to create jobs for 20 lakh youths in the IT sector, also by the 2021, through providing them with IT education, training and other facilities.
Bhutan's Information and Communication Minister Lyonpo Dina Nath Dhungyel, President of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) Mustafa Zabbar, ICT Division Secretary Subir Kishore Choudhury also spoke at the cerenony.
The ICT Division in collaboration with BASIS, Bangladesh Computer Council and a2i programe of the Prime Minister's Office organised the IT exhibition. People from different strata, mainly the enthusiastic young boys and girls, flocked the fair to gather knowledge on digital technologies and innovations.
A good number of ministers from different countries, including Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Congo and the Maldives, attended the fifth edition of the fair.
aamra, one of the leading IT conglomerates of the country provided high-speed internet at Digital World 2017. aamra has been the official internet partner of Digital World for last four years.
