Interim govt drafts plan, eyes full digital economy, smart governance by 2030

Highlights 

• Draft of National Digital Transformation Strategy prepared
• It targets expediting country's digital transformation
• Bangladesh to become a top 15 nation in e-government index
• The country will also become an AI and 4IR hub in South Asia
• There will be 7-8 million ICT professionals by 2030

The interim government eyes expediting the country's digital transformation for a "full digital economy and smart governance" by 2030, a decade ahead of the Awami League government's "Smart Bangladesh by 2041" plan.

According to a draft of the "National Digital Transformation Strategy," all the digital public infrastructure with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered predictive governance will be implemented in the next six years to make Bangladesh a top 15 nation in the UN E-Government Development Index.

Within the same deadline, the government targets a "digital economy at scale" including a $5 billion ICT export, a 50% increase in startup funding and global partnerships and making Bangladesh an AI and 4IR hub in South Asia.

The country will have some 7-8 million ICT professionals by 2030, the paper says.

"Amid the AI storm, no one knows where the world will stand in 2041 and Bangladesh cannot afford the stretched transformation process previously eyed," Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, UNDP-backed policy adviser for ICT coordination and reform told The Business Standard.

"A full digital economy and smart governance is what we need. Our strategic plan, awaiting a deep stakeholder consultation before final adoption, includes a much more coordinated and inclusive transformation," said Taiyeb who is leading the roadmap preparation tasks.

Awami League's "Smart Bangladesh" was more a political slogan with a vague roadmap and implementation plan that was not delivering enough, he said, adding, "The interim government, instead is outlining a clearly time bound step by step approach."

Goals to achieve by next year

For instance, by next year there will be data governance and interoperability that still significantly lacks in Bangladesh mainly due to fragmented digitisation efforts.

The strategy paper aims to launch Bangladesh National Digital Architecture (BNDA) for seamless data exchange among all government agencies, and create a National Data Exchange (NDX) to integrate all the databases including citizens' identity, vital information and statistics, financial and tax records. Clear data privacy and security regulations, a national cyber security will be ensured meanwhile.

To accelerate e-governance and digital economy, it eyes digitising over 800 government services through a unified platform, from some 350 services right now, expanding AI-driven automation in public services, launching a universal payment gateway to enable real-time fully interoperable transactions, attract foreign investments in the tech arena by improving regulatory framework, training some 50,000 professionals in AI, cloud computing and cyber security to establish a national AI and 4IR hub.

Scaling and optimisation by 2027-28

Digital infrastructure expansion, cyber security and AI regulations alongside developing talent for future industries will help scale up and optimise, according to the draft strategy paper.

Full rollout of 5G and fibre optic broadband, national cloud and secured AI-driven identity verification including e-KYC, digital signatures will be ensured at the stage, alongside training a million youth in ICT and emerging tech, revamping the university curricula for future-ready graduates.

A coordinated implementation framework eyed

The entire journey will be overseen by a National Digital Transformation Taskforce that will include representation of the ICT, telecom and cabinet divisions, chief adviser's or prime minister's office and the development partners.

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said this would ensure a harmonious effort by all the government agencies towards the accelerated mission as all the offices will feel the ownership, unlike the previous ICT Division's sole leadership.

Biannual progress reports to track the key performance indicators through global benchmarking and public feedback.

Right now "Bangladesh's ICT ecosystem is hindered by fragmented digital assets across different ministries and agencies. Major data repositories by key offices lack secure interoperable mechanisms," said the strategy paper blaming those as major challenges.

The fragmentation caused redundant infrastructure and higher operational costs, poor coordination among government agencies alongside citizen data vulnerabilities.

What experts say

Industry professionals and technology experts, welcoming the clearer plan to expedite the digital transformation, have stressed the need for no gap among the industry, academia and the government.

Technology entrepreneur Fahim Mashroor while talking to TBS stressed detailed consultation with the industry before finalising the digital transformation strategy.

Bondstein Technologies Managing Director Mir Shahrukh Islam suggested private sector representation in the National Digital Transformation Taskforce for technical expertise, instead of the proposed "all secretarial" structure.

"Strategy presents a bold and promising vision for Bangladesh's digital future. However, we need to address the smartphone penetration issues, skill gap for achieving the ambitious goal of 7-8 million ICT professionals by 2030.

Synesis IT Ltd Chief Solutions Officer Aminul Bari Shuvro called for an aligned academia, public procurement policy and implementing agency's authority and accountability.

Zulkarin Jahangir, assistant professor of North South University and a UNDP consultant, praised the new strategy due to its "pragmatism and clear timeline with measurable steps, inclusion of AI and data security, and formation of new implementing authorities that was long overdue in Bangladesh."

He added, "Embedding AI into workforce transformation shows a rare grasp of future labour dynamics."

However, he finds a lack of a clear path beyond 2030, a binding economic growth projection, a concrete technology investment attraction strategy, a global digital trade positioning and social inclusion.

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said incentives for the emerging tech investors would increase and that for the declining sectors might decrease.

The draft would include the recommendations already given by the interim government taskforce to boost the digital economy and it will include a better public procurement for the future.

Fahim Ahmed, MD and CEO of Pathao, said, "This report exemplifies everything that is wrong with our policy formulation: multilateral funded, European-inspired and India-obsessed policy framework distracted by shiny objects."

He added, "It misses the central point of 'why this is important': i.e. to create earnings opportunities, to promote socioeconomic development and to accelerate economic growth.

"Like most policy reform initiatives, it defaults to aping India, obsesses over Singapore and Estonia, and misses what other developing countries have done to accomplish these objectives in the past 5 years."