ET Desk: Faqir Mahbub Anam, Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology, has said that putting a service online does not make it fully digital. The success of digital transformation should be measured by how easy, fast, transparent and accessible a service is for citizens, not by the number of technologies deployed.

Minister made the remarks today while taking part in a Cross-Examination Dialogue titled Challenging Conventional Approaches to Governance Innovation and Anticipatory Governance” at the eighth session of the international conference “UN Governance Innovation Summit: Advancing Future-Ready Institutions, held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The Minister said that technology alone cannot transform public administration. Connectivity is the foundation, but it is institutional readiness that turns connectivity into public benefit. Before introducing new technology, he said, governments must first understand the problem, review existing administrative processes and remove unnecessary steps, clarify institutional responsibilities, and ensure coordination among agencies.
During the discussion, Faqir Mahbub Anam stressed three capacities- Capable institutions; clear accountability, interoperable data systems and effective coordination, Skilled workforce; the skills, confidence and mindset to work with new technologies, Public trust; strong data governance, cybersecurity, privacy protection and accessible grievance-redress mechanisms.
Technology will not force citizens to adapt to the government system; rather, the government system will adapt to citizens, the Minister said. He added that technology itself can help identify institutional barriers and accelerate reform, which is why Bangladesh is advancing reform and technological innovation together.
Quoting Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said- The use of AI, automation and digital technologies can make our administration more efficient, transparent and accountable. The Minister said the government is working towards this goal.
Concluding the discussion, the Minister said Bangladesh is moving away from the mindset of simply moving paper-based processes online. Instead, entire service processes are being redesigned around citizens’ needs. This is reducing unnecessary steps and making the government more responsive, efficient and accountable through technology. Besides the Bangladeshi Minister, the session featured Moeketsi Motsoane, Minister from Lesotho; Brahim Boulkheir from Mauritania; and Carolina Plata López from Mexico. The session was moderated by Jeyhun Salmanov, Deputy Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (SAPSSI) under the President of Azerbaijan.
At the conference, representatives from various countries exchanged views on building future-ready institutions, administrative innovation and the effective use of technology in public services.