Films on Hasina family swallow half of ICT project budget

A government project that set out to train young Bangladeshis to build mobile apps and video games has ended up spending nearly half its budget making animated films about ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family.

The flagship "Mobile Game and Application Skill Development Project", launched in 2016 under the ICT Division with promises to create a new generation of digital innovators, allegedly diverted more than Tk 1.46 billion of its Tk 3.01 billion budget to film and holographic productions.

A new audit by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has branded the shift a "wastage of public money", saying the project lost sight of its main purpose while failing to produce commercially viable apps or a skilled workforce.

Officials said that launched with an initial budget of Tk 2.82 billion, the project was due to conclude by June 2018 but has been extended to December 2024. Its cost has also risen by about 17 per cent.

The initiative was designed to train young Bangladeshis for the growing digital industry by developing mobile games and applications.

The IMED's completion review found that, although the project aimed to build local capacity for app and game development, all the products were instead outsourced to private vendors. None were created under the project's direct supervision.

The project's scope was later broadened, through its third revision, to include the production of several animated films and the establishment of a lab at the University of Dhaka's Faculty of Fine Arts.

Among the outputs were a 10-episode animation series titled 'Khoka', based on the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; a 3D animated film 'Amader Chhoto Russel Sona', on Sheikh Russel; and 'Egiye Jawar 50 Bochor', highlighting government development achievements.

Another film, 'Mujib Bhai', based on The Unfinished Memoirs of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is still in progress.

According to IMED officials, these productions drove up costs and extended the project's duration by at least three years.

The evaluation stated that the films "consumed almost half of the total expenditure," while the core objectives, producing mobile applications and developing skilled professionals, remained largely unmet.

"The funds have been used for non-core and irrelevant purposes," the report said. "The project lost focus on its primary goal of developing human resources for mobile applications and game development."

The IMED noted that while 11 animation and holographic films were made and several studios established, "most of the mobile applications and games developed are neither in use nor commercially viable."

Out of 164 games and 102 apps reportedly created under the project, few are operational or publicly accessible, and "no clear record of end users or beneficiaries could be found."

The evaluation also pointed to severe management flaws. Eleven project directors were appointed during the project's lifespan, four of whom served for less than a month.

Field inspections uncovered irregularities in equipment use and maintenance.

At Noakhali Science and Technology University, computers and printers supplied under the project were found in a personal office rather than in the designated lab. At Cumilla University, half of the computers were non-functional and a printer was missing.

The project still faces four unresolved audit objections involving Tk 137.71 million.

IMED auditors also identified procurement anomalies, including purchases made outside the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system, a clear violation of the Public Procurement Rules (PPR) 2008. While the ICT Division defended the animated films as "awareness-building tools" aligned with the Digital Bangladesh vision, the IMED concluded that the project's outcomes "do not justify such expenditures."

It further criticised the division for failing to ensure sustainability, noting that "the developed apps and games have no commercial potential, and the training provided lacked effective follow-up."

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on ICT Affairs, admitted that several ICT Division projects had suffered from unnecessary expenditures, including the mobile app initiative.

He said committees were now identifying corrupt officials involved in past projects.

The IMED report recommended thorough feasibility studies before approving future ICT projects and the appointment of full-time project directors to ensure accountability.

An IMED official remarked, "The project began with a vision to create app developers but ended up making films on the Hasina family, a costly deviation from its original goal."

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