Digital Bangladesh: Integrating ICT in non-ICT projects

BANGLADESH is transiting through a period of political (mainly social, cultural and economic) evolution through a complex and unstable process. We missed a few opportunities to bring real change to our country's politics and overall status. Still, we struggle to come out from the vicious cycle of poverty. The present government created some hype and high expectations that things will change and we will achieve our long-cherished goal of dignity and economic solvency. This vision was reflected in the government's election manifesto of building a digital Bangladesh by 2021.
Though the whole digital Bangladesh concept is unclear about strategies and milestones, the goal is clear -- achieve economic freedom within a certain time frame. Meanwhile, general citizens have endorsed and accepted the concept with mixed reactions. Some thought Digital Bangladesh meant only ICT-centric development. Though partially correct, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) obviously has a key role in Digital Bangladesh to ensure efficiency of government systems and social accountability to citizens.
Due to our confusion about the digital Bangladesh concept, even after understating the concept with our habits and heritage of political leaning, the few ICT centric initiatives we have experienced are politically motivated and irrelevant to the real perspectives. Rather than help the government achieve this goal, it will defame it with examples of failures. Everybody talks about ICT now, whether it is relevant, sustainable or proper, time-wise. ICT is such a strong, diversified, and adoptable tool, that many are abusing it.
To achieve digital Bangladesh, government can find a strategy to 'integrate ICT in non-ICT projects, whether it is development or administrative process.' This strategy can make ICT an integral component for everything. Already we have seen a few very successful initiatives like the dissemination of public exam results, and announcement of MPO enlistment, etc. Now the time has come to make ICT efficient and beneficial to us. We don't need fancy ideas to change our livelihood process but rather robust modules to serve communities on a larger scale. Our Department of Marketing of the Ministry of Agriculture has an excellent website on market prices, but it is not useful and doesn't provide better updates. We have to be realistic but open to the private sector to implement such initiatives under the PPP model.
Amul is the largest milk cooperative that integrated ICT into its milk collection process to ensure an efficient and transparent system, ultimately benefiting rural small farmers. Our Milkvita can also adopt such projects. |As far as we know, Milkvita personnel have visited Amul many times, but never used their processes, which makes Amul the leading dairy producer in India. If an ICT-enabled system is installed at the cooperative level, farmers (individual milk producers) will automatically get printed information about the quality, quantity and price of their product, and a useful database of the farmers will be created.
ICT can also be introduced at the agriculture sector. Initiatives have already been introduced but aren't managed properly. If the Moa can review the actual status of these initiatives, like the market price service of the Dom, this single initiative can become a mega project. The government can also introduce direct online data collection at the local level through telecentres or any access points where government facilities don't exist. This will simultaneously build the capacity of field level officials and institutes, and become more efficient.
Promoting ICT to facilitate market linkage and offer access to business development services for micro and small enterprises (MSE) can be another step to integrate ICT into non-ICT projects. All local scheduled banks are on the Internet. Many have introduced ATM services, which can be expanded by allowing online payment systems. Banks can offer more information services for these businesses to become bankable. Similar market development organizations and projects should facilitate more ICT-enabled initiatives by integrating new services, and telecom operators should be encouraged to offer more services to the MSEs. Mobile based remittance can also foster this process.
The government can instruct all schools and health service providers (government, private and NGOs) to keep their health-management or school-management records in an ICT-enabled format. Usually, these institutes don't maintain detailed information clearly, but if it becomes obligatory to do so, these will help service providers become more efficient and accountable to citizens increase.
Use of ICT in micro-finance can become a revolution in Bangladesh. All micro finance institutes (MFI) should maintain their detailed beneficiary lists in a digital format and make them available on the net. If MFIs start using ICT to maintain and update their database, they can change the whole ICT environment in Bangladesh. This environment will ensure that overlapping finances are being taken care of and the actual status of micro finance can be explored.
Surely the government has to implement the digital Bangladesh campaign and begin it from the core. If the government issues directives to use and integrate ICT in all current and future projects to all concerned, and sets the targets as KPI, things must move fast. If some raise questions about resources, those have to be resolved through proper consultation and inquiry. Many ICT resources are unutilized when management fails to plan properly or make timely decisions. ICT facilities like PCs, laptops, the Internet, and others are available in most government offices, but used at an elementary level, since many senior government officials are not used to email as official correspondence.
Incentives and punitive measures have to be initiated at the government level; every year respective departments and ministry will assess their performance and submit to the competent authority. Government may initiate process to announce a kind of 'best ICT user' award to encourage performing agencies and individuals. Similarly, assessments should properly reflect if organizations and individuals have failed to achieve their target. Measures should be taken to ensure successful implementation of projects. To encourage the use of ICT between the private sector and NGOs, the government can initiate project to offer incentives like 'free solutions / application' and tax facilities for early adopters.
Promoting ICT usage at the local level and integration into non-ICT projects will directly contribute to the growth of the local software and hardware industry. New markets will be created for IteS, and other support service industries will grow rapidly. This will create new employment opportunities for IT graduates and low skilled groups. Ultimately this will help the local software industry become more competitive in the global ITeS market.
A market driven approach should be key and the most important priority to consider and deal with in the digital Bangladesh campaign. Surely the government will consider the development perspective, but not at the cost of economic benefits of all efforts and investments. Many believe that in a market driven environment, if the government is committed to ensure good governance, everyone has to be more responsible to ensure social benefits for all citizens
The government needs to produce an action plan, supported by the right strategies, and establish a unit (independent and visionary) to implement and monitor this plan. The relevant agency should lead it -- may be the MoSICT is the right candidate for this -- but an expert, not a bureaucrat, should lead the unit. Only developing static websites and setting up networks will not achieve a digital Bangladesh. Rather, we have to concentrate more on the 'process automation.'
It is high time for the government to set the ground and ensure level playing field for all relevant stakeholders to achieve digital Bangladesh by 2021. Otherwise we may face another frustrating experience not expected by any citizen of our country and that we don't deserve.
Md Shahid Uddin Akbar is the CEO, Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID)
Email: [email protected]