Dhaka, Dec. 24 -- The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has stepped up preparations for the upcoming parliamentary election and is shaping its election manifesto with a sharper focus on digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

In a recent interview with The Financial Express, the party's IT Affairs Secretary AKM Wahiduzzaman said BNP would prioritise tripartite partnerships among the public sector, private sector and universities to build AI research labs, data centres and innovation hubs if it forms the government after the 2026 polls.

He said AI is reshaping the global economy, "but Bangladesh is behind," adding that BNP wants to avoid hype and instead focus on foundational elements: data readiness, infrastructure readines...