On March 15, 2023, AIUB hosted a seminar titled "Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041: The Relevance of Bangabandhu's Dream" with the keynote paper titled "Vision Smart Bangladesh: The Relevance of Bangabandhu's Dream." It was held in honor of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birthday on March 17 and considering the transformation of Bangladesh's vision to "Smart Bangladesh" based on the success of the vision "Digital Bangladesh."
The keynote speaker, Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Talukdar, Professor of the Faculty of Business Administration, AIUB, mentioned that the bold slogan of Vision 2041, "Smart Bangladesh”, emerged from the accomplishment of Bangladesh's Vision 2021 and the mantra of digitalization along with advanced technology-inclusive development. It is also catalyzed by the global paradigm shift in the convergence of governance and development focused on impact leadership, sustainable development, a knowledge-based society, and the evolving concepts of "smart cities" and the "smart world." He further emphasized that the drive towards Vision 2041 aspires to realize the striving approach to accomplish the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and make Bangladesh a high-income country and a prosperous nation by 2041. The Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041 is more comprehensive, goal-driven, inclusive, and effective than the Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021. The key player in achieving the vision of "Smart Bangladesh" is the young generation of Bangladesh. The ultimate objective of smart Bangladesh is to achieve Bangabandhu’s dream of a Golden Bengal in a smart way in a smart world. It is founded on the four pillars of a smart state: "smart citizens," "smart government," "smart economy," and "smart society." It aims to foster the inclusivity of all people in Bangladesh in this smart endeavor to ensure a decent standard of living for everyone while striving to ensure a prosperous country with a lower Gini coefficient.
Pointing to the relevance of Bangabandhu's Dream, the keynote speaker refers to the essay of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, "Striving to Realize the Ideals of My Father." "It is the indomitable spirit of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that drives us forward, and we dare not rest till we achieve all his dreams," Sheikh Hasina writes in the conclusion of her scholarly writeup, published by MIT Press Direct in its ranked journal "Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization" in 2021. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangabandhu, highlights in her 2021 article the specifics of transforming Bangladesh into a sustainable and developed country. She emphasizes how digitalization liberates people from the chains of illiteracy, poverty, corruption, dictatorship, terrorism, and extremism; how it helps realize Bangabandhu's ideals by meeting the people's seven basic needs; and how the nation could develop to a smart level that can guarantee a decent standard of living for everyone.
The lead discussant, Professor Dr. Jebunnessa, Department of Public Administration, Jahangir Nagar University, appreciates the paper and emphasizes the need for conducting more quality research on Bangabandhu like this one. She felt that Bangabandhu’s dream is highly relevant to the vision of "Smart Bangladesh" in a smart world. Thus, she thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, for keeping such an ambitious vision moving forward in a timely manner. The chief guest, O. N. Siddiqua Khanam, Member, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission and Former Secretary of the Bangladesh Government, however, regretted not attending the seminar due to chairing an enviable viva board.
With a vote of thanks, the chair of the seminar, Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman, Pro-Vice Chancellor of AIUB, expressed gratitude to the keynote speaker, discussants, and houseful audience, including faculty members and young students, at the AIUB auditorium. With reference to the keynote speaker’s discussion question, he explicitly draws attention to the young generation and mentions, "Our generation built digital Bangladesh. And now it's your (the young generation's) turn to transform it into a smart Bangladesh using the digital Bangladesh platform.”
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