Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the State Minister for Telecommunication and Information Technology, has announced that the initiative to build a Smart Bangladesh with the assistance of Japan will kick off within the next twenty-one months. He made this declaration following a meeting with the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Iwama Kiminori, at the Secretariat on Thursday morning.

Highlighting Japan's collaboration in formulating and executing the master plan for the information technology sector, the state minister emphasized seeking Japan's aid in modernizing the country's postal department and enhancing cyber security measures.

Furthermore, Palak mentioned plans for a summit to be jointly organized by Bangladesh and Japan to attract increased Japanese investment in Bangladesh. He expressed gratitude for the ambassador's assurance of Japan's ongoing support in the endeavor to build a smart Bangladesh and improve the welfare of its citizens.

The roadmap for Smart Bangladesh has been delineated across four pillars, namely Smart Citizen, Smart Society, Smart Economy, and Smart Governance. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already endorsed the working paper of the meeting, which includes fourteen decisions aimed at implementing the Smart Bangladesh initiative.