WB keen to create IT-based infrastructure in Bangladesh

World Bank has expressed eagerness to build IT-based infrastructure in the country along with creating job opportunities in the very vital (IT) sector.

Mona Haddad, World Bank Global Director for Trade and Investment expressed the interest when she was leading a delegation at a meeting with Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Md Nahid Islam here today.

During the meeting held at the adviser’s office in Bangladesh Secretariat, they discussed different bilateral aspects especially focusing on Bangladesh’s unemployment problem and governmnet’s commitment to address the issue.

Mentioning that unemployment problem as major concern of the country, he said the present interim government is committed to create infrastructure to generate job opportunutues for the country’s youths.

"Freelancers have a crucial role to play in our country's economy, but due to lack of infrastructure we are unable to seize that opportunity. We are also interested in creating workplaces in the digital sector for them,” he said seeking World Bank’s support to this end.

On launching new projects in the country, Nahid said at present the government is not thinking about any new projects rather than making old projects more effective and time befitting.

He said that there is a lack of trust in public mind regarding information technology projects as a record amount of money was allocated in the past but the results were not that much fruitful.

"Those projects are being scrutinized. As the World Bank is involved in several projects of the country, pragmatic suggestion from World Bank is required”.

Secretary of Posts and Telecommunications Division Md Mushfiqur Rahman, Secretary for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division Shish Haider Chowdhury, World Bank Program Leader Souleymane Coulibaly and Senior Private Sector Specialist of World Bank Group in Dhaka Hosna Ferdous Sumi joined the meeting.