The government’s Access to Information (a2i) program has, so far, delivered quite impressive results and facilitated citizen-led innovations that are benefitting almost everyone from farmers to teachers. Presumably bolstered by the success of the a2i program, the government wants to take it a step further and will propose to establish an a2i foundation at this Thursday’s cabinet meeting. From Digital Centres that provide internet access to rural populations, and multimedia classrooms providing quality education to anyone with internet access, the A2i program has already benefitted millions of Bangladeshis in a number of ways. But most importantly, embedding greater ICT technology into the bureaucratic process reduces inefficiency and also opportunities for corruption. It is especially significant for women in rural areas, not least because they now have access to a wider world, but also because, as part of the project, thousands of women entrepreneurs from rural areas will receive training.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 09, 2017 12:33 UTC