4th industrial revolution taking place in country
Says PM adviser Salman
STAFF REPORTER, Dhaka
Speakers at a conference yesterday said that the fourth industrial revolution is changing the whole supply chain management system and the country needs to up its logistics game to catch up with the changes. They were speaking at a conference titled Logistics in Bangladesh: Challenges and Future Readiness, which was organised by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) in association with the Bangladesh Supply Chain Management Institute (BSCMS) at a Dhaka hotel.
At different sessions in the conference, panelists discussed the impact of the logistics infrastructure in export competitiveness, current export-import handling capacity of the ports, bottlenecks in air-cargo handling, and overall, how Bangladesh can improve in the Logistics Performance Index (LPI).
Speaking on the occasion, Salman F Rahman, a guest of honour, said Bangladesh has witnessed an unthinkable level of growth in the past few years. But we have to think big, just as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said. We need to achieve double-digit growth for consecutive years to become a developed country by 2041, he added.
Rahman, private industry and investment adviser of the Prime Minister, said the country needs to up its game in the logistics sector to meet the target. We have already made big strides in infrastructural growth. But its benefits cant be enjoyed unless we start properly utilising our logistics and supply chain network, he added.
Rahman also said that the fourth industrial revolution is taking place and people now resort to artificial intelligence and the internet of things to control the supply chain network. We need to adopt and model our own network in line with those latest technologies, he observed.
Citing Bangladeshs adaptation in the energy sector in terms of the supply chain, Rahman said since natural gas reserves are depleting, the government has quickly brought LNG to keep the energy supply chain intact. One of the main drivers of Bangladeshs growth is the energy sector. We have already ensured its continuity with this step, he added.
More than 120 logistics experts from both public and privet sectors attended the conference to discuss the existing challenges and future opportunities.
Md Abul Kalam Azad, principal coordinator of the SDG affairs at the Prime Ministers Office, said the government is open to hear from all sides and it is trying to weed out the issues hindering the economic development process. We know that the government has decided to build 100 economic zones and 30 high-techs parks. All these are progressive steps. You will find that different projects are quickly being implemented in different districts, he added.
BIDA chairman Kazi M. Aminul Islam, in his inaugural speech, expressed optimism that the conference would be able to address the ever-increasing challenges of logistics management due to the steady growth. He said the conference would give directions as to how these challenges could be met in order to leverage the growth potential in the short, medium and long terms.
Talking to the Independent, Naquib Khan, president of Bangladesh Supply Chain Management Society, said: Currently, many projects are in the operational phase in our country. Weve taken many projects for development which are still running. But their implementation should speed up.
The economy is moving fast with a total annual business of USD 90 billion. If we want to double it, it wont take much time, but we must take proper initiatives for that, he added.
