Bangladesh must become producer, exporter of tech: Faqir Mahbub

He said the government is working to establish the “Made in Bangladesh” brand globally in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor design, software, data centres and digital services.

Faqir Mahbub Anam, also Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister, made this remark while addressing the “Bangladesh ICT and Innovation Awards-2026” organised at the BRAC University auditorium in the capital’s Badda this afternoon, said a ministry press release.

He said Bangladesh is moving towards transforming its labour-intensive economy into a knowledge-based economy under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

“The goal is to strengthen Bangladesh’s position as one of the world’s leading digital economies within the next five years. There is no alternative to the innovative thinking, technological skills and research of young people to achieve this goal,” he said.

Praising the young innovators at the event, Faqir Mahbub Anam said, “Standing in this auditorium today, I do not see merely some young faces; I see a reflection of the prosperous and modern Bangladesh of tomorrow. Instead of complaining when faced with problems, they have used their intellect to develop practical solutions.”

A total of 355 innovative projects from different sectors were submitted to this year’s “Bangladesh ICT and Innovation Awards”. Following a two-day evaluation of the 355 projects, Bangladesh ICT and Innovation Network (BIIN) recognised 44 of the country’s best information technology innovations.

Under the theme “Recognising Innovation, Inspiring Transformation”, the winners of the “Bangladesh ICT and Innovation Awards 2026” were handed crests, certificates and gift vouchers at the event.

A total of 40 experienced judges from industry, education, banking, government administration and the startup sector evaluated the projects over two days. Of them, nine were given Champion awards, 10 Winner awards and 25 Merit awards.

In this regard, the minister said the large number of innovative initiatives proves that Bangladesh’s young people have no shortage of talent and innovative strength.

Highlighting the progress of the country’s digital infrastructure, he said Bangladesh’s large young and working population and expanding mobile and internet networks have created an important foundation for building a technology-driven economy.

“Now what is needed  to build our own innovation, research, skills development and an effective technology ecosystem on this infrastructure,” he said.

Addressing the young innovators, Faqir Mahbub Anam said today’s awards are not the end of their journey, but the beginning of a new chapter.

He said research, capital investment and appropriate policy support are needed to turn a prototype into a commercial product and that product into an industry.

The government will stand beside young innovators in these areas, he assured.

He also said young people need to come forward to showcase Bangladesh’s innovative capabilities on the international stage.

He expressed the expectation that they would raise the red-and-green flag of Bangladesh higher in various international competitions and platforms, including the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA).

In his speech as the special guest, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said the innovative strength of Bangladesh’s young people must be utilised to build a democratic, humane, welfare-oriented and inclusive Bangladesh.

He said economic development and wealth creation are closely linked with achieving this goal and that science, information technology, research and innovation must be given special importance for economic advancement.

He said achieving the goal of turning Bangladesh into a trillion-dollar economy would require more than isolated innovation events, awards or research activities. “An effective linkage must be established among innovation, research and business. In this regard, it is extremely important to build an effective ‘trinity’ or integrated platform among the government, business sector and academia,” he said.

The state minister said specific programmes need to be formulated for research and innovation in the future and an integrated cluster of projects needs to be developed to achieve the desired goals.

In his speech as the guest of honour, Science and Technology Secretary Md. Anwar Hossain said various initiatives have been taken in the country to encourage innovation, but there are still various limitations in taking innovators’ innovations to the next stage and in marketing, incubation and commercialisation.

He said the government has undertaken initiatives to build an innovation-friendly integrated ecosystem and a culture of innovation to address the problem.

In his speech as the guest of honour, BTRC Chairman Major General Md. Emdad Ul Bari (retd) said connectivity alone is not enough; what is needed is quality internet, appropriate devices and affordable prices. “Our goal is to ensure that regulation does not become an obstacle to innovation, but rather supports it.”

The event was chaired by Bangladesh ICT and Innovation Network (BIIN) Chairman Syed Almas Kabir.

BRAC University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury, BIIN Executive Director Rubaba Dowla , teachers from various universities, researchers, technology entrepreneurs, innovators, students, guardians, members of the judging panel, representatives of government and private organisations and media workers were also present.

The Champion and Winner innovations will be nominated to represent Bangladesh at APICTA Awards 2026, reports BSS.

The nine champion award-winning individuals/institutions are: in the institution category, Sokrio Technologies Limited’s “Sokrio DMS” (Intelligent Sales and Distribution Management Platform); Teton Private Limited’s “MyECGAI” (Bangladesh’s first AI-powered ECG device); and Grameen Healthtech Limited’s “The Sukhi Way: Connected Care through Integrated Digital Services”.

In the student category, the winners are Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology’s (BUET) “AgentIAM”; University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh’s (ULAB) “Chronic”; Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology’s (CUET) “Sync V-1: Braille Embosser”; Khulna University’s “Arbor”; and Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College’s “BrailleBridge”.

In the individual or team category, the Champion award went to “Bindo”.