Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- An international conference in Dhaka on Sunday called for harnessing blockchain technology to further promote growth, inclusion, service delivery and smart governance in Bangladesh.
ADB’s Bangladesh Resident Mission organized the event on 29-30 September 2019 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka.
Minister of Finance AHM Mustafa Kamal, and Prime Minister’s Advisor for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury BB were chief guest and special guest respectively at the conference “Harnessing Blockchain Technology for Development”. Ms. Farida Nasreen, Secretary (Acting), Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance delivered opening remarks while Mr. Manmohan Parkash, Country Director, Bangladesh Resident Mission, ADB gave welcome speech at the two-day event that ends on 30 September.
“Blockchain is a cutting-edge high-level creative technology that can revolutionize many areas of modern life by improving transparency, accountability and efficiency in service delivery, governance, finance sector, industries, trade and other areas,” said Country Director Manmohan Parkash.
“Through this international conference, we want to introduce the blockchain technology, inspire dialogues among stakeholders, identify areas where the technology can be used to unleash the growth potential of the country.”
“The burgeoning IT industry, well-educated youths, vibrant private sector, as well as the government can immensely benefit by the early adoption of home-grown blockchain technology solutions to resolve problems, create new startups and jobs, attract investments from technology companies, and develop world class business environment,” Country Director Mr. Parkash added.
Experts from Australia, India, Sweden and USA attended the event, along with policy makers, senior officials, private sector leaders and technology experts from Bangladesh.
The international conference aims to unleash the potential of Bangladesh for blockchain applications.
It also provides a venue to conduct dialogues with government, private sectors and academia to introduce the blockchain technology, and to identify areas where the technology can be used to unleash the growth potential of the country.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.
In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
BBN/SSR/AD