The country's small and medium entrepreneurs should focus more on enhancing digital literacy, skills development and innovation for achieving their desired growth, speakers told a seminar on Wednesday.
They suggested that the entrepreneurs update themselves with new frontier technologies to cope with the challenges emanating from disruptive technologies in the coming days.
They made the observations at a seminar on the 'Role of effective entrepreneurial ecosystem in developing smart Bangladesh and way forward' on the sidelines of the week-long SME Fair.
The Small and Medium Enterprise Foundation (SMEF) hosted the event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka city aiming to promote entrepreneurs and create a major matchmaking platform.
Nasreen Afroz, executive chairman of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), joined the seminar as the chief guest. SMEF managing director (additional charge) Salahuddin Mahmud moderated the discussion.
Rashedur Rahman, an associate professor and director of Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Centre at Dhaka University, presented a keynote paper.
Addressing the participants, Ms Afroz said every citizen should play their respective roles in ensuring a better, enabling ecosystem in the country.
"An enabling ecosystem doesn't emerge by nature, rather every professional must discharge their duties with due diligence to build a better ecosystem," she asserted.
As time changes, everything is getting transformed. So, entrepreneurs should also prepare themselves to adhere to this transformation, according to Ms Afroz.
Underscoring the need for skills development, she said the NSDA has been working to develop, certify and supervise skills-related activities in the country.
"The NSDA doesn't provide skills training, rather it supervises allied organisations," said the NSDA top official.
At the event, the keynoter said Bangladesh looked to become a developed nation by 2041, which is also aligned with the vision to build a smart Bangladesh.
"Smart Bangladesh will be a high-income, poverty-free, and macro-economically stable country. It will have a highly educated and healthy population," he said.
Accentuating the need for becoming smart entrepreneurs, Mr Rahman said a symbiotic linkage between large firms and smaller industries could transform the economy of Bangladesh into a smart economy.
Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Shamim Ahmed, Joyeeta Foundation managing director Afroza Khan and PMO's SDG Affairs additional secretary Monirul Islam, among others, also spoke there.
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