Putting a service online alone is not digital transformation, ICT minister Fakir Mahbub Anam says in Baku

Putting government services online does not by itself complete digital transformation, Posts, Telecommunications and ICT and Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam has said.

He spoke on Friday (6 November) at the eighth session of an international conference in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on United Nations governance innovation and building future-ready institutions. He made the remarks while taking part in a discussion on challenging conventional methods in governance and on anticipatory governance.

The minister said the measure of success is not how much technology use has increased, but how easy, fast, transparent and accessible a service has become for the citizen.

Fakir Mahbub Anam said technology alone cannot change government administration. Before technology is used, the existing administrative process must be reviewed and unnecessary steps removed.

At the same time, the responsibilities of different institutions must be made clear and effective coordination among them ensured, he said. In his view, connectivity is the foundation, but institutional capacity is what turns that connectivity into public welfare.

The minister named three things as important for digital transformation: capable institutions, skilled manpower and public trust.

He said capable institutions require clear accountability, information systems able to exchange data with one another and effective coordination. Alongside that, a workforce skilled and confident in using new technology must be built.

On earning public trust, he stressed proper management of information, cyber security, protection of personal privacy and arrangements for lodging complaints easily and having them resolved.

The minister said technology will not force the citizen to adapt to the government system; rather, the government system will adapt to the citizen.

He said that by using technology it is possible to identify institutional weaknesses and obstacles and to speed up administrative reform.

Bangladesh is advancing administrative reform and technological innovation side by side, the minister said. Citing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said artificial intelligence, automation and digital technology can make administration more efficient, transparent and accountable, and the government is working towards that goal.

He said the aim of digital transformation is not merely to move an old paper-based process online. The entire service process is being redesigned around the citizen's needs, so that unnecessary steps are reduced and government services become faster, more efficient and more accountable.

Besides Bangladesh's minister, Lesotho's minister Moeketsi Motsoane, Mauritania's Brahim Boulkheir and Mexico's Carolina Plata Lopez also took part in the session. Jehun Salmanov, deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani president's state agency for public service and social innovation, moderated the session.

At the conference, representatives of different countries exchanged views on building future-ready institutions, administrative innovation and the effective use of technology in public service.