ZCZC
BSS-29
SALMAN-PKI
Salman for using PKI
DHAKA, June 23, 2019 (BSS) – Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment
Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman urged all to use the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for
creating a complete digital ecosystem in thecountry.
“While Bangladesh’s success is significant as far as digital
transformation is concerned, the use of PKI in the public and the private
sector remains to be the ‘missing link’ in accomplishing the kind of result
the government wants, he said.
The private industry and investment adviser to prime minister said this
while speaking at a symposium titled “Digital Transformation: Role of PKI”
organized on Saturday by Bangladesh PKI Forum at the Radisson Blu hotel in
the city, said a press release today.
The PKI refers to the foundation that enables the use of digital
signatures and encryption across large user populations, delivering the
elements required for a secure and trusted business environment for e-
commerce and Internet of Things.
Salman said “If this link can be put into place, all the work that we have
already done will become hold, and only then I think the achievement that we
have in mind will be achieved.”
He said that the PKI is extremely relevant to the idea of ‘Digital
Bangladesh’ that the current government has promoted since its ascent to
power in 2008.
“The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently said that Bangladesh is the
fastest growing economy in the entire Asian region, and will remain so for
the next two years. And why this is more relevant to the discussion about PKI
is that one of the key components of this growth strategy which the Prime
Minister put into place has been Digital Bangladesh, which is being
implemented under the leadership and guidance of ICT Adviser to Prime
Minister Sajeeb Wazed Joy” he said.
Referring to a Thai delegate who earlier described how the government in
Thailand took initiatives to spread the internet in the rural region, he said
“Similar to Thailand’s case, Bangladesh has also taken initiatives to
digitalize villages.
We have now the fiber optic backbone which is connecting all our villages
at the union level. In cities, even the last mile is now digital.” “We have
submarine cable connectivity for high-speed internet. Our own satellite-
Bangabandhu 1-is now operational and we are on the process of sending the
next one, Bangabandhu 2, in a couple of years,” he added.
While Bangladesh has built the necessary digital infrastructure and
enacted regulatory frameworks to enable the use of PKI, he argued, the use of
PKI has to be intensified to create a complete digital ecosystem in the
country.
The adviser identified three major areas-the customs, the taxation system
and the company formation-in which the implementation of PKI, especially the
increased use of digital signatures, will bring about tremendous improvement.
Citing the example of India and Thailand, Salman stressed that introducing
and allowing electronic or digital signature in these areas will make the
process more efficient because there wouldn’t be any confusion or uncertainty
about the authenticity of the signature.
The event was also attended by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister M
Nojibur Rahman as the special guest.
Nojibur Rahman said Bangladesh needed to “catch up” with other countries
in terms of implementing PKI.
He emphasized on learning from experience of other countries that
implemented PKI in their respective public and private sectors. “That is why
events in which countries share their experiences with each other, like this
one, is extremely helpful,” he concluded.
Chaired by Chairman of the Bangladesh PKI Forum A K M Shamsuddoha, the
event hosted more than a dozen of signatories from other national chapters of
PKI Forum, an international non-profit organization that promotes the
adoption of PKI worldwide, and foreign experts and government officials.
BSS/PR/KUC/SMM/1830 hrs