Bangladesh has made a notable improvement in the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI) this year, advancing 11 positions to reach 100th place among 193 countries.
The country also climbed five places in the E-Participation Index (EPI), securing the 70th spot.
According to the 2024 UN E-Government Survey, Bangladesh has achieved its highest-ever EGDI score of 0.6570 since 2003, a significant increase from the previous score of 0.5630.
In last year's rankings, Bangladesh stood at 111th place in the EGDI and 75th in the EPI, marking a steady rise in its global standing.
The 2020 report had placed the country at 119th in the EGDI. The consistent progress, particularly in online service delivery, law and policy frameworks, and e-participation, has been commendable.
However, stakeholders in the sector remain cautious in their optimism, citing concerns over human capital development and telecommunications infrastructure, where the country has lagged behind.
The 13th UN E-Government Development Index report, published recently at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, revealed that Bangladesh scored 0.6570 in the EGDI, placing it 100th globally, an improvement from its previous score of 0.5630.
Similarly, the country improved its E-Participation Index score to 0.6164, ranking 70th, up from last year's 75th place with a score of 0.5227. In 2020, Bangladesh was positioned at 95th with a score of 0.5714.
The survey evaluated nations on online services, telecommunications infrastructure, human capital, and e-participation, analysing data from various publications and online services provided by member states.
Bangladesh's online service index saw a notable improvement, with its score rising to 0.7374 from last year's 0.6521.
Although there has been some progress in the telecommunications infrastructure index, where the score improved from 0.4469 to 0.6501, challenges remain.
While celebrating the advancements, local software entrepreneurs expressed disappointment that the significant contributions of the private sector were not highlighted in the report.
They argue that domestic IT companies have been instrumental in creating citizen-friendly systems and deserve recognition.
"It is essential that we showcase the pivotal role played by local companies in developing the digital infrastructure that has led to this achievement," they asserted.
Synesis IT Group CEO Rupayan Chowdhury noted that while moving up 11 places is an achievement, the overall progress in EGDI is still modest.
"The EGDI is composed of three indices, and unfortunately, the state of these indices has not seen substantial improvement," he explained.
“In South Asia, we trail behind India, and our comparative score is 0.7374, placing us at 67th. This progress is largely due to the dedication of software companies, yet the budget allocation for software development remains insufficient. I doubt even Tk500 crore was allocated annually for software, despite there being over 1,300 active companies. A larger portion of the budget has been spent on hardware, training, foreign consultancy, and other non-software-related areas, leaving us lagging in that regard."
Shoeb Ahmed Masud, former vice president (administration) of BASIS also pointed to the crucial role of domestic IT companies in driving this success.
He urged for a thorough assessment of the contribution foreign companies have made through their systems, especially in terms of job creation for local IT professionals and the risks associated with foreign dependency, data security, and foreign exchange.
"We need to evaluate the success and shortcomings of past projects, especially regarding the extent of work that could have been done domestically versus what was outsourced," he stated.
