Project launched to accelerate e-governance, digital public services
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A project, funded by the European Union, was officially launched on Monday to accelerate e-governance and digital public services in the country.
The project was taken to establish a transparent, efficient, and citizen-centric digital governance framework while aligning with the EU’s priorities to support sustainable and inclusive digital development.
The Cabinet Division and the ICT Division, in collaboration with the e-Governance Academy of Estonia and the British Council, will implement the project styled “E-ffective Governance: Accelerating e-Government and Digital Public Services in Bangladesh” with a budget of €9.7 million.
Organizers said at the launching event that the initiative was taken against the backdrop of dynamic changes in Bangladesh's digital context.
Piret Kuhlbars, Team Leader, e-Governance Academy and Arsen Stepanyan, Team Leader, British Council Bangladesh gave an overview of the project's context, objectives, and expected impact.
The project will have a duration between November 2024 and November 2028.
Md. Mahmudul Hossain Khan, Coordination and Reforms Secretary, Cabinet Division, Shish Haider Chowdhury, ICT Division Secretary, and Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Policy Advisor for ICT Coordination and Reform, ICT Division, addressed the event, among others.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, criticizing the previous government policies in the ICT sector, said that their priority now, including under this initiative (project) is to improve the citizen services.
Emphasizing the data and energy sustainability, he said that digital economic partners should be given the necessary support and the unnecessary budget burdens should be checked.
Michal Krejza, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Bangladesh, said in his closing remarks that until recently there is no common digital architecture in this country that we (development partners) could have followed while developing ICT systems.
"Hopefully, we could, with this project, be capable of developing common digital architecture," he added.
Before that, in his opening remarks, Michal Krejza said that the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific gives digital governance a prominent role in how our partnership with Bangladesh and other countries in the region is shaped and evolving.
Digital governance has the potential to accelerate and consolidate the interim government’s reforms and sustain and multiply their results, he said.
However, technology alone is not a complete solution. Its success depends on a clearly defined political will, a willingness to cooperate, and an openness to change, Michal Krejza said.
The project will also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to network and explore synergies with other digital transformation initiatives. And, the implementers will work in three goal-oriented directions to address the pressing areas.
One is Government to Government – G2G-- to improve the digital interaction, coordination, and communication between government ministries, agencies, and departments.
The second one is Government to Employees (G2E)-- to strengthen the capacities of public sector employees for improved organisational performance and public service delivery.
The third one is Government to Citizens (G2C)-- to improve the quality of public services and their delivery for all.