Draft Bangladesh ICT Roadmap draws Serious Criticism

The draft 'ICT Roadmap' has faced strong criticism soon after its launch with stakeholders alleging that it contains proposals that are contrary to national laws and administrative integrity.

The government paper carried contradictory proposals like upgrading divisions to federal states and creating imaginary post like 'chief digital adviser' under the chief adviser for implementing the roadmap.
Sources in the information and communication technology sector alleged that the draft prepared at a cost of about Tk 2.5 crore was untenable and inadequate, and carried statements undermining the country's parliament.
The draft in its proposal states that 'development of clusters of high-growth ICT companies based around hi-tech parks in each division of Bangladesh by 2013, or federal states, if they are so upgraded by that time'.

It said that the ICT Roadmap will deliver through a range of strengthened governance mechanisms including an envisaged ICT taskforce with appointment of a full-time 'chief digital adviser' who will report directly to the taskforce and the chief adviser.
Among many weaknesses for ICT in Bangladesh, the paper pointed out, 'Parliament is non-functional, so weaker democratic legitimacy behind government initiatives. '
Concerned quarters have questioned the farsightedness of the consultants in seeing Bangladesh split into federal states in future, presence of chief adviser at least till 2013 and the country having a 'non-functional parliament' as stated in the draft.
Formulating the roadmap or action plan for the information technology sector was assigned to UK-based company, Gov3 Limited and their two local partners—Spinnovatio n Limited and D.Net.
The government took the initiative to formulate the national ICT Roadmap for Bangladesh under the Economic Management and Technical Assistance Program (EMTAP), managed by Bangladesh Computer Council with assistance from the World Bank.
Concerned sources said the draft roadmap would lead Bangladesh to 'nowhere' and the paper was certainly not fit for Bangladesh.
ICT sector sources said the draft was much below expected standard and the preparation process involved irrelevant people.
They alleged that the consultants had made it by ensuring foreign trips for several bureaucrats in the name of seeing development of ICT sector there.
The draft of the national ICT Roadmap was made public on Thursday at a function attended among others by agriculture adviser CS Karim, and chief adviser's special assistant Professor M Tamim, science and ICT secretary SM Wahiduzzaman, Centre for Development Research chairman Mizanur Rahman Shelly, Bangladesh Computer Society chairman Aminul Hoque, Bangladesh Computer Samity chairman Mustafa Jabbar and Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) president Habibullah N Karim.
CS Karim, discussing on the draft, said the structure of the government with a ministry and the statutory bodies under it should be sufficient for implementation of the development plans for IT sector.
The requirement of novel bodies inconsistent with the government structure was not possible, he noted.
The adviser felt that stakeholders were not appropriately sensitised to the IT Roadmap and as such it remained inadequate. He directed that all stakeholders must be within the ambit of interaction and the process had to be wholesome and comprehensive for success of any roadmap.
We have very little resources, we can't waste any. We must have precise and doable targets. Don't re-invent the wheel. Work from within the system and within the limitations of statutory requirements, ' he said.
SM Kamal, a former president of BASIS, failed to understand how this roadmap was released with the ICT policy still under review.
M Tamim, special assistant to the chief adviser, said that the roadmap lacked sufficient directions for development of skilled manpower for IT sector.
The roadmap said that high speed internet facilities should be provided to students for skilled development. More details should be there on skilled manpower development, ' he observed.
Tamim said that the country lacked skilled manpower because of wrong policy taken earlier. 'The main focus of skill development was fixed earlier to cater to the IT need of USA. It would have been better if the aim was set to meet homegrown need.'
He also opposed the recommendations on privatising state-run Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, which was formed recently by turning Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board into a company.
Why should it be privatised? It is true that the government should not engage in business. That is why state-run companies are formed. State-run companies can compete with other business entities under good regulatory framework,' he observed.
During open discussion AKM Shamsuddoha of Dohatec stated that the draft roadmap failed to take into account the strength and achievements of the IT sector. He mentioned the successful marks of IT in the country's banking sector, the stock market, utility billing, education boards, voters' registration and National ID Project.
The proposed roadmap failed to say how Bangladesh's ICT sector should prepare itself to secure a rightful share in the global market. The draft was a poor sifting through a host of recommendations made in different forums, Doha said.
Khairuzzaman of the Dhaka Stock Exchange said that the roadmap did not address key technical issues and suggested that special emphasis should be placed on security.