Call for Integrated Digital Government

The goal of digital transformation should not be limited to digitising technology and government services; rather, government institutions must become more integrated, efficient and accountable to ensure better public services, said Fakir Mahbub Anam, Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled ‘E-ffective e-governance: Accelerating e-government and digital public services in Bangladesh’ at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital.

The seminar focused on national data governance, digital transformation and the National Responsible Data Exchange (NRDEX) Platform. The event was organised by the Information and Communication Technology Division in collaboration with the e-Governance Academy (eGA), with funding from the European Union’s Global Gateway Initiative.

The minister said having separate digital systems in different government institutions alone does not constitute digital government. Instead of collecting the same information repeatedly from citizens and developing similar technological capabilities separately across institutions, the government must strengthen common capabilities, interoperability and a national data exchange mechanism while improving inter-institutional coordination.

Fakir Mahbub Anam said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarek Rahman, is working to establish an integrated digital ecosystem. Citizens should not be required to submit the same information repeatedly; rather, secure and authorised data exchange among government institutions must be ensured.

He said interoperability is not merely a technological issue. It is also linked to good governance, common standards, accountability and institutional cooperation. Instead of developing similar digital systems repeatedly, the government should build shared infrastructure and reusable digital capabilities.

The minister also stressed that data exchange must be secure, responsible and governed by clear policies. At the same time, duplication in digital projects should be reduced and nationally reusable capabilities should be developed jointly.

According to him, citizens do not see the government as a collection of separate ministries or databases; they see it as an integrated service system. Therefore, government digital systems must be developed as a connected ecosystem.

He further emphasised that integrated digital systems can improve efficiency and transparency in public services while strengthening citizens’ trust in government. Responsible data management, inter-institutional coordination and secure information exchange will be critical in this process.

Five Priorities for Digital Transformation

Speaking as a special guest, Prime Minister’s Adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad said the government will focus over the next five years on laws and policies, secure connectivity, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, skilled human resources, and electronics manufacturing.

He said artificial intelligence represents a major opportunity for Bangladesh. The government will seek to engage young people in technology innovation by ensuring strong digital public infrastructure, secure data exchange and open application programming interfaces.

He also said an initiative has been taken to allocate Tk 500 crore annually for startups.

With the right policies, skilled human resources and an investment-friendly environment, Bangladesh could emerge as a global electronics manufacturing hub, he added.

Focus on Data Ownership and Trust

The seminar also discussed integrated digital transformation, data ownership and accountability in digital government, trust in data and the vision and strategic priorities of Bangladesh’s digital transformation.

Among those present were Michael Kreiza, Head of Unit and Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh; Nahid Sultana Mallik, Executive Director (Additional Secretary) of Bangladesh Computer Council and Project Director of the ‘E-ffective e-governance’ project; Ingrid Tuneckurg, member of the e-Governance Academy Management Board; Arvo Ott, Head of Digital Architecture and Solutions Competence Centre at eGA; Farah Shammi NDC, Secretary for Coordination and Reform at the Cabinet Division; and Md. Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division, along with relevant officials.

//DBTech/JUP/MIS//