Technology-Driven Reform for Better Public Services
Adviser Urges AI-Ready Civil Service
- Civil service urged to become more skilled, accountable and ethical
- AI, data use and digital capabilities identified as priorities
- Adviser calls for lifelong learning and competency-based professional development
Bangladesh needs a civil service equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), data-driven capabilities and digital expertise to meet citizens’ expectations and address emerging governance challenges, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration Md Ismail Zabiullah has said. He called for a more competent, accountable, ethical and technology-enabled administration capable of delivering public services efficiently.
He made the call as the chief guest at a national consultation titled “Capacity Needs Assessment of the Bangladesh Civil Service”, held on 10 November, Tuesday at the BIAM Foundation in the capital. The event was jointly organised by the Governance Innovation Unit of the Prime Minister’s Office and UNDP Bangladesh.
The adviser said citizens expected the current government to build a transparent, efficient and people-oriented administration. He stressed that the capacity, performance and service-delivery efficiency of the civil service would be critical to implementing the government’s five-year strategic reform and development framework for July 2026 to June 2031.
A policy or programme, he said, could succeed only when field-level officials delivered it to the public on time and in an appropriate manner.
Emphasising the need to modernise the civil service in response to a changing global environment, Zabiullah said the effective use of AI and data was introducing new dimensions to governance worldwide. Referring to experiences in Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, he argued that conventional one-off training programmes should give way to lifelong learning and competency-based professional development.
He also called for building the civil service’s capacity to meet international standards and compete in an increasingly interconnected world.
Welcoming the civil service capacity assessment initiative, the adviser said it had identified several priority areas for professional development. These include public financial and procurement management, project implementation and management, AI and digital skills, data protection, climate change, trade and investment, legislative drafting, and citizen-centric service delivery.
He said strengthening officials’ capabilities in these areas could significantly improve the overall capacity of public administration.
Addressing government officials, Zabiullah said competent public servants were essential to ensuring better services. He reiterated that the civil service must become more efficient, ethical and technologically capable to fulfil the aspirations of the people.
UNDP Bangladesh Deputy Resident Representative Sonali Dayaratne attended the consultation as a special guest. Director General of the Governance Innovation Unit Dr Delwar Hossain and North South University Associate Professor Dr Rizwan Khair also spoke at the event. Senior officials from different ministries and divisions participated in the consultation.
//DBTech/AMM/SMP/MIS//
