Dhaka: The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and relevant Bangladeshi government agencies on Tuesday signed a $13 million grant agreement to strengthen artificial intelligence (AI) skills and innovation in Bangladesh. The agreement covers the project titled ‘Fostering Innovative Technology Experts with a Focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Bangladesh’, widely known as the AI-Hub Project.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Information and Communication Technology Division (ICT Division) under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance signed the Record of Discussion (RD) with KOICA for the project. The signing formalizes a landmark grant aid initiative of US$ 13 million, extended by the government of the Republic of Korea through KOICA, and marks a major milestone towards establishing a state-of-the-art AI Hub at Software Technology Park-2 in the capital’s Kawran Bazar area.
The project will be implemented by the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) under the ICT Division, in close partnership with KOICA and ERD, and is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2029, said a press release. The signing ceremony was held in Dhaka and attended by senior representatives of the signatory institutions, along with officials from the ICT Division, ERD, and BHTPA. The event followed a series of in-depth discussions between the governments of the two countries, and represents a key step in translating the two countries’ shared commitment to technology-driven development into concrete action.