The Commonwealth Heads of Government are preparing to meet this weekend in Malta, and one of the issues they will be discussing is how to bridge the so-called digital divide - the gap between those in the industrialised world who have access to information technology, and those in the developing world who do not. According to a BBC Report, Bangladesh has already taken a commendable step in the right direction with our “telephone ladies”. Thanks to innovative finance, Bangladesh’s villages are joining the digital age.

Will Bangladesh be an international trendsetter by harnessing technology to aid the poor?

Earlier this year, in mid July, Iqbal Quadir, founder of Grameen Phone, spoke at the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Global conference and said, “The only way we can depend on each other is if we connect with each other. Connectivity leads to dependability which leads to specialisation and then productivity.”

More recent endeavors include work on Internet Connectivity in rural Bangladesh. Will Bangladesh ride the $100 laptop per child bandwagon? Already the use of computers and technology in rural schools is slowly gaining ground.

Innovative application of technology in rural Bangladesh does not stop there though - bridging the gap in informational access has applications even in the “fight against corruption” at a grassroots level.

In the health sector, harnessing technology has led to the ambitious projects of Telemedicine and doctors’ education through CD-ROMs.

One cause for concern is that sluggish pace in project implementation might mean technology will move on before the required infrastructure can be put in place, for example in the case of the proposed national wireless internet network.

Nov 28, 2005: Bill Gates to visit Dhaka, Dec 9,10.. The Daily Star reports, “Gates might call on Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during his brief stay in Dhaka, and is likely to discuss how Bangladesh could collaborate with Microsoft in bridging the digital divide in the country.”

“During the industrial revolution, our country was left behind. This doesn’t have to happen again.”: Minister, Science and ICT Ministry, at the inauguration of the five-day SoftExpo 2005 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.