Public Disclosure Authorized
Public Disclosure Authorized
ABSTRACT Open data can be the oil for innovation that accelerates the growth and transformation of Bangladesh’s economy and future. With champions who sustain the effort to release and promote reuse of high-value open data, new social and economic opportunities will emerge across Bangladeshi society. At the same time, open data can increase transparency, Public Disclosure Authorized accountability, and public trust.
Photo source: World Bank Photo Collection, Bangladesh,
health (2016), education (2007), and agriculture (2007)
BANGLADESH OPEN DATA READINESS ASSESSMENT REPORT Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Public Disclosure Authorized Improving Public Services (April 30, 2020)
Contents Disclaimer ...... ii Preface ...... iii Acknowledgement ...... iv List of Acronyms ...... v Executive Summary ...... vi Key Findings ...... vii Key Benefits of Open Data for Bangladesh ...... vii Foundations for Open Data...... xiv Dynamics to address ...... xv 1. Introduction ...... 1 1.1 Country Background ...... 1 1.2 Sectoral Context ...... 1 1.3 Rationale for the Bangladesh Open Data Readiness Assessment (BODRA) ...... 3 1.4 Definition of Open Data ...... 6 1.5 Methodology ...... 8 2. Assessment of ODRA Dimensions and Evidence ...... 11 2.1 Senior Leadership ...... 11 2.2 Policy and Legal Framework ...... 14 2.3 Institutional Structures, Responsibilities and Capabilities within Government ...... 19 2.4 Government Data Management Policies and Procedures ...... 23 2.5 Demand for Open Data ...... 28 2.6 Civic Engagement and Capabilities for Open Data ...... 31 2.7 Funding Open Data Programs ...... 34 2.8 National Technology and Infrastructure ...... 36 3. A Way Forward ...... 40 3.1 Summary of the Assessment ...... 40 3.2 Conclusions and Recommendations ...... 41 3.3 Proposed Action Plan ...... 45 4. Datasets Available...... 52 Annex A: Examples of existing web portals ...... 54 Annex B: List of persons met...... 58
Boxes Box 1: Assessing the Returns on Investment in Data Openness and Transparency ...... 3 Box 2: 7th five-year plan (7 5-YP) focus areas ...... 6 Box 3: Global transparency and accountability momentum ...... 8 Box 4: Public finance data that can be more comprehensive ...... 43 Figures Figure 1: World Governance Indicators ...... 4 Figure 2: Government of Bangladesh: public availability of budget documents from 2006 to 2017...... 5 Figure 3: The eight most important dimensions of an open data ecosystem ...... 9 Figure 4: Dimensional colour coding ...... 9 Figure 5: Example of Data Classification ...... 16 Figure 6: Example of benefit of disclosure of public financial information ...... 17
Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Disclaimer
The analysis and recommendations in this Open Data Readiness Assessment are based on information and opinions collected from interviews undertaken and materials provided by government officials and other stakeholders during this study. This Open Data Readiness Assessment is not based on detailed, legal due diligence and does not constitute legal advice. Accordingly, no inference should be drawn as to the completeness, adequacy, accuracy or suitability of the underlying assessment of, or recommendations or any actions that might be undertaken resulting therefrom, regarding the enabling policy, legal or regulatory framework (including institutional aspects thereof) for open data in the country.
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Preface
The Open Data Readiness Assessment (ODRA) Framework is designed with the flexibility to support an economical and action-orientated assessment of the readiness of a national, regional or municipal government - or even an individual agency or an individual sector - to evaluate, design and implement an Open Data Program. In Bangladesh, the ODRA exercise focused on the national level of government.
An Open Data Program is not simply the design and launch of an Open Data Portal. Instead, a Program should aim to drive the development of a dynamic Open Data Ecosystem rich in both the supply and reuse of Open Data that fuels innovations by many types of stakeholders. Experience among leading governments has demonstrated that Open Data Programs are more sustainable and high-impact when Open Data efforts use an “ecosystem” approach – meaning governments invest not only in supplying data but also address the policy/legal framework, institutional readiness, capacity building (for government and infomediaries), citizen engagement, innovation financing, and technology infrastructure. Governments need to play a multi-dimensional role in an Open Data Ecosystem and create new types of partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders.
“Open data” is “data that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed”— and has emerged as one of the principal ways of increasing government transparency, especially on public finance matters. “Open Government Data” (OGD) are datasets that governments generate, collect, and possess. The term “open data” refers to non-proprietary and machine-readable data that anyone is free to use, reuse, analyze and disseminate without legal or technical restrictions.
The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has developed an overall framework for its open data efforts called the Bangladesh Open Government Data Strategy (2016): Data for all
Mission Statement • Forming open government data principles by means of innovation in data management and change in tradition for information • Ensuring public service availability efficiently, promoting innovation & research and improving national economy in Bangladesh. • Provisioning structured way of access to information for mainstreaming public inclusions in national economy though open data flow among individuals and agencies. • Establishing good governance by ensuring transparency & accountability through citizens’ participation
Objectives • To encourage developing innovative solutions for better public service delivery • To enhance scope of research to identify and develop innovative solutions. • To create opportunities for new jobs and more investment. • To make government more transparent and accountable
Open Data Strategy aims to: • Embed open data practices within the Government. • Engage with the open data community. • Enhance open data based on demand.
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Acknowledgement
The Bangladesh Open Data Readiness Assessment (BODRA) was prepared by the World Bank team with financial support from United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). The World Bank team comprised of Winston Cole (Lead Governance Specialist, Financial Management and Task Team Leader); Syed Khaled Ahsan (Senior Public Sector Specialist); Saki Kumagai (Governance Specialist); Nadee Naboneeta Imran (Research Analyst); Jeff Kaplan (ODRA International Adviser); Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Talukdar (National Public Sector Expert); Razia N. Sultana (Program Assistant); and Umme Saima Sadia (Team Associate). Valuable inputs were received from Stephen Davenport, Global Lead, Senior Public Sector, Specialist, Open Government and Citizen Engagement and Craig Hammer, Program Manager, Development Effectiveness. Special thanks to Mohamed Yusuf, Governance Adviser, DFID for his excellent contributions during the civil society and private sector consultative sessions. George Addo Larbi, Practice Manager, Governance Global Practice, provided strategic guidance and overall quality assurance. The team would like to sincerely thank officials from Cabinet Division, Statistics and Informatics Division (SID), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Finance Division (FD), Office of Comptroller and Auditor General (OC&AG), Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Economic Relations Division (ERD), Bangladesh Bank (BB), Access to Information (a2i) of Information and Communication Technology Division, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), National Board of Revenue (NBR), Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU), Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), private sector, and civil society organizations (CSOs) for their cooperation and collaboration in making this BODRA successful. The assessment team also wishes to thank the wide range of stakeholders from the private sector, civil society organizations, and non- governmental organizations for readily agreeing to be interviewed for the study, and whose input and feedback was essential to this report.
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List of Acronyms a2i Access to Information Programme APA Annual Performance Agreement API Application Programming Interface BANBEIS Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics BB Bangladesh Bank BBS Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics BCC Bangladesh Computer Council BODRA Bangladesh Open Data Readiness Assessment BPATC Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre BTRC Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission CD Cabinet Division CGA Controller General of Accounts CPTU Central Procurement Technical Unit CSO Civil Society Organization CSV Comma-Separated Values DGHS Director General of Health Services (under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) DHE Department of Higher Education DPE Department of Primary Education DSHE Department of Secondary & Higher Education ERD Economic Relations Division FD Finance Division (Ministry of Finance) GoB Government of Bangladesh ICT Information and Communication Technology IMED Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division MoH Ministry of Health NRB National Board of Revenue IMS Information Management System NSO National Statistics Office NSS National Statistical System OCAG Office of Comptroller and Auditor General ODRA Open Data Readiness Assessment OGD Open Government Data PDF Portable Document Format OGD Open government data PMO Prime Minister’s Office RTI Right to Information SID Statistics and Informatics Division
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Executive Summary
Data has become the most valuable renewable resource on the planet. Publicly available micro-data can enable evidence-based and adaptive policy decision-making in a transparent manner. There are important reasons why leading governments around the world invest heavily in open data. They understand that data is a driving force in business success today, the jobs of tomorrow, and the digital transformation that governments and societies must achieve to flourish in the 21st Century. And data needs to flow more easily across government and out to companies, entrepreneurs, civil society, and citizens for a country to innovate, improve public services, and compete today.
New technologies together with a massive increase in the data produced every day are helping reshape how government and citizens engage. By opening more data for easier access, governments are making new resources available to their citizens. Bangladesh has started to walk down this road. Open data can accelerate its progress and agility to meet the challenges of the digital revolution happening all around us. This is true during time of strong growth and times of economic challenge.
The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) Seventh Five Year Plan sets out comprehensive plans to use information and communication technology (ICT) to ensure citizen participation, social inclusion, and empowerment; to promote good governance and efficient delivery of public services; and to drive economic growth. The integration of disparate and disconnected datasets into a single window of access through an open data portal, with the ability to freely download data, and create visualizations of the data, produces more potential for citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) to use, re-use, and profit from the release of public information. For example, detailed, regularly updated data on public spending—a common and key type of open data released by many countries—helps public agencies allocate scarce resources more effectively, helps businesses see where new opportunities exist, and helps citizens understand how public investments and services perform. The proposed action plan in chapter 3 when fully implemented, will support GoB to push the boundaries of open data for innovation whilst safeguarding individual personal data and business’ interest with accountability measures to achieve economic and social development and improve public services in a transparent manner.
The GoB took an important step with the development of an Open Government Data Strategy in 2016. This Bangladesh Open Readiness Assessment (BODRA) aims to document the current baseline and propose a specific action plan for the GoB to consider for the next phases.
The Open Data Readiness Assessment (ODRA) being used in Bangladesh is the same framework that has been used by 50 other governments over the past ten years. It is designed to deliver an action-orientated assessment of the readiness of a national, regional or municipal government - or even an individual agency or an individual sector - to evaluate, design and implement an Open Data Program. This Bangladesh Open Data Readiness Assessment (BODRA) focuses primarily on the national government of Bangladesh.
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Key Findings
The Bangladesh ODRA exercise – focused on how open data could improve health, education, economic growth, and public financial accountability. While these areas get highest attention, the assessment cuts across multiple sectors and issues that affect all levels of government.
The overall conclusion of the BODRA exercise is that Bangladesh has many key ingredients in place that are essential to implementing a high-impact Open Data Program. The key reasons why the GoB has not progressed far in open data since release of its Strategy in 2016 seem to be a general lack of awareness about the Strategy among government agencies, external potential users, and absence of concrete implementation. The best test of a government’s political commitment to open data is seeing publicly communicated commitments to open specific data followed by the actual publishing of such open data.
Successfully executing and sustaining actions to build an Open Data Ecosystem will deliver real gains in growth, accountable public service delivery, and social sector benefits. Additional key ingredients to put in place include: (i) a clearer and more authoritative legal / policy framework for open data; (ii) visible, top-level political support for release of specific, high-value data; (iii) incentives and accountability for agencies to publish high-value open data; (iv) an effective feedback loop that turns data requests (from within government and outside government) into open data releases; and (v) ongoing training on data management, data analytics, and open data awareness.
Key Benefits of Open Data for Bangladesh
The BODRA finds that Bangladesh can catalyze socio-economic benefits from open data if it implements the practical plan recommended in this report for its open data strategy with support across government. Open Data aligns closely with the goals of Bangladesh’s current 5- Year Plan. If executed in a structured and inclusive manner, Open Data can deliver tangible benefits to government and society such as:
• The Bangladesh BOOST cover public finance data from FY2011 to FY2018. When approved for public disclosure, release of disaggregated financial and economic data (budget, expenditures, import/export, tax, energy, etc.) can enable domestic and international companies to make more informed decisions to invest and expand their businesses in Bangladesh – and thereby increase foreign direct investment (FDI). The benefits of open public finance data are discussed in detail in World Bank study on Bangladesh from 2013.1
• Release of detailed health data (properly anonymized) can drive new innovations in health services delivery by government and companies. This will be true in many other sectors including education, agriculture, and energy as open data is released by relevant government agencies.
1 “Diagnostic Report on Catalyzing Open Data on Public Finance in Bangladesh”, World Bank (2013).
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• Release of disaggregated data on public sector finance, education, audits, and financial statistics from Bangladesh Bank will contribute greatly to accountability and public understanding of how government uses public resources. Greater transparency can improve trust in government and will give more confidence to citizens and foreigners to direct more investment that will help fuel higher economic growth.
• Releasing open data will lower the current high costs of finding data that is siloed among many agencies and often too old or aggregated to be useful. Open data reduces such costs for agencies, researchers/academia, private sector, and citizens. This will help Bangladesh improve its rank in the ease of doing business index and other international rankings.
• Public-sector agencies often see the biggest benefits from open data. Easier access to data held by other parts of government saves time, enables better planning and operations, facilitates more efficient use of budgets, and powers new services or makes existing services more impactful.
A summary of the main findings and recommendations for Bangladesh on each of the eight dimensions of the Open Data Readiness Assessment (ODRA) are detailed below:
1. Senior Leadership
Assessment Importance Remarks A national level Open Government Data Strategy was put in place in 2016, and key agencies have shown leadership in releasing information, usually in PDF format only. Open
data champions have not yet emerged – but multiple agencies Tending to Very High express readiness to release data if clearer high-level guidance is provided.
In 2008, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh officially launched Digital Bangladesh Vision by 2021 – a vision to move the country’s digital transformation to the forefront of its governance and development strategies and policies. This vision had an immediate impact. It led the government to develop its ICT Policy (2009), Right to Information Act (2009), ICT Act (2009, Strategic Priorities of Digital Bangladesh (2011), and later an Open Government Data Strategy (2016).
The GoB has made high-level commitments to greater information access for citizens, as demonstrated by its enactment of the Right to Information Act. The Open Government Data Strategy adopted in 2016 led to creation of a first version of an Open Data website – https://www.data.gov.bd. However, it is not frequently updated, and most agencies are still looking for clearer direction from top government leadership before they are completely bought in to release open data. Many express readiness and know that they possess high-value data -- but remain cautious. Despite a relatively stronger supply-side (as identified in the National RTI Survey 2019) the demand-side is lagging by a large margin.
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The Bangladesh Open Government Data Strategy (2016) has not yet been implemented as most agencies have limited awareness of its existence. Dedicated administrative leadership or active open data champions are still missing to operationalize the Open Government Data Strategy and to make public officials aware of the importance of open data, benefits of open data to the citizens and private sector, and what open data really means. There are some exceptions. The Bangladesh Bank releases various financial statistics through their website in machine readable as well as human readable formats. The Ministry of Health also makes certain data downloadable in machine- readable format.
2. Policy and Legal Framework
Assessment Importance Remarks Multiple agencies, private sector, and non-government suggest that the legal framework (mandate and guidance) needs to be strengthened for agencies to have clarity on open data. Key laws such as the RTI Act and Statistics Act speak in terms of Very High “information.” They are not clear enough about “data” and might benefit from amendments to address this. The Open Government Data Strategy (2016) is little known and is said to lack sufficient legal authority.
Legal authority to access and release information to the public is generally established in Bangladesh by the RTI Act. The Act establishes a citizen’s right to information held by government and includes a proactive disclosure mandate directing government authorities to publish any policy or decision they take as well as information about their organization and decision-making processes. It also directs government authorities to catalog, index, and preserve the information they possess. An Information Commission oversees and enforces the RTI Act and its rules and regulations.
In the decade since its enactment, agencies across government at every level have a RTI “infrastructure” in place though the volume of public requests and depth of public awareness are modest. To carry out RTI obligations, agencies do release varying amounts of information)— almost always in PDF format (non-machine-readable)—in varying degrees of frequency. Furthermore, an RTI survey covering the period of 2014 to 2018 identified areas where implementation underperformed the promises of the Act, in particular: lack of awareness, capacity issues, the need for increased political support, and the lack of an internal coordinating body within the Government.
With respect to data and data management specifically, there are gaps in the legal and policy framework where greater detail would provide agencies with the guidance needed to remove their uncertainty and caution. For example, the Statistics Act (2013) guides BBS’ management of the country’s statistical system, though it does not address open data. This is an example where added clarity in the legal framework can help drive leadership, empower people more clearly to demand data be opened, and serve as a foundation for new political commitments. Greater legal clarity will contribute to emergence of open data champions and the release of high-value data that are mostly already available.
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It should be noted that certain laws like the ICT Act and Digital Security Act include broad provisions that could be misapplied to punish legitimate use of open data. For example, under the ICT Act, a person who publishes or transmits any material in any electronic form that “prejudice[s] the image of the State or person” or “instigate against any person or organization” has committed a crime punishable by up to fourteen years in jail. This creates a risk that such laws, if used to curb fair use of open data, would shift this readiness component to Red.
3. Institutional Structures, Responsibilities and Capabilities within Government
Assessment Importance Remarks GoB has track record of utilizing the kind of inter-agency mechanisms that open data also requires. There is a strong Medium High tendency for agencies to make their own ICT decisions. Culture of caution remains among some agencies who hesitate to publish / share data or information.
Agencies demonstrate a strong sense of ownership for their data and information management systems -- and generally have a high awareness of the data assets that they possess. At the same time, they are cautious about releasing actual data, most often doing it at a very aggregated level and in formats (e.g., PDF) that cannot be easily reused and analyzed by others. Multiple agencies indicated that their high-level data analytics capabilities are under-developed. Most do not have their own data analytics departments or teams. Some have plans to develop this internally; others indicated that they expect the Ministry of Planning to conduct data analytical work on their behalf. Furthermore, the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) is not yet well established among GoB agencies.
GoB has convened inter-agency mechanisms to coordinate on important open data policy areas. For example, a2i helped managed a large inter-agency effort to organize data to track the SDGs in Bangladesh. Inter-agency coordination is essential for a country’s open data efforts and can help the GoB eliminate barriers to inter-agency data sharing and implement open data at scale. Today many agencies lack access to crucial data held in systems managed by other agencies as inter-agency data sharing is not yet well developed.
4. Government Data Management Policies and Procedures
Assessment Importance Remarks Lots of high-value data exist in agency systems, some published in PDFs, but little is accessible yet in machine-readable formats. Not much high-value data has been released yet, and where data is High available it is often too aggregated to be useful. However, lots of Tending to quick wins are possible.
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The GoB has invested heavily in robust information management systems, and many show a strong competency and sophistication in how they manage them -- sometimes with support from outside technical consultants. Formal data management policies seem uncommon even among agencies with well-developed ICT systems - though several like Ministry of Health, DSHE, and BCC indicated they have data policies being drafted.
As a result, there are large amounts of existing, well-structured data that could be released as open data if the political decision was made. To date, however, there are only limited examples of high-value, disaggregated data freely available for download. Similarly, even though agencies are often aware of the useful data that other agencies have, sharing and direct access to each other’s systems (e.g., via APIs) is extremely limited. Often it is done manually by sharing reports by email and sometimes by hard copy (on paper) only. Improved inter-agency access to data, for example through agency data sharing agreements, would be a good indicator of positive changes in the “data culture” of the GoB.
There is evidence that several agencies are willing to publish data already available as part of PDF reports if there is a clear political direction and if there are no technical or legal obstacles preventing it. Important examples of data that could be open include: various financial data (approved budget, actual expenditure, pensions, etc.), school census data, imports and exports, and the company registry.
5. Demand for Open Data
Assessment Importance Remarks There is evidence of notable demand from government agencies, private sector, researchers, and CSOs for data in key areas - education, health, economic / market data. The call for constructing an open data ecosystem is evident from the consultative workshops with private sector and CSOs of Very High Bangladesh. One obstacle often identified is the lack of data with adequate detail or disaggregation to be more useful for independent analysis. There is also some evidence of a startup ecosystem with data-enabled apps and digital services -- the health sector has launched numerous new digital services.
Even though the formal RTI process for proactive disclosure of ‘information’ remains under- utilized, discussions with CSOs and private sector in consultative workshops, and the participants’ written feedback reveal that there is an enormous demand for ‘open data’ from private sector, business associations, and CSOs including NGOs, academia, media, and research organization. Consultations with leading data generating and publishing government agencies also acknowledge the demand for open data both in and outside the government. The private sector voiced its desire to have specific types of data such as: export and import related data, general economic, micro economic and financial data, economic and social indicators data, utility price data, public revenue data, local and international market related data, government project and policy related data, agriculture related data, classified trade and business, and regulatory data, compliance and quality control related data, and geographic information system (GIS) data.
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Civil society organization demands include data in a wide number of areas: customs, development and other types of aid, government personnel and projects, health facilities, health professionals and equipment, disease surveillance, access to resources, education, gender, GDP, unemployment and inflation, employment and labor market, public finance, budget, developmental and public expenditure data, governance, transparency, accountability and corruption data, conflict and death, socio-economic development, markets and companies, and macro-economic data. They see such data as crucial to help plan how they can contribute to Bangladesh’s achievement of its development goals from SDGs to reaching developed country status by 2041 according to its Delta Plan.
6. Civic Engagement and Capabilities for Open Data
Assessment Importance Remarks There are manual channels for citizen-to-GoB engagement in Bangladesh on a range of issues in addition to the RTI process. Also, robust willingness of the private sector and CSOs to engage with the government for awareness raising and co- creation of open data is evident. It was not determined how often co-organized events occur to promote use of data or innovative High apps. Private sector and CSOs in Bangladesh are not yet organized to apply aggregated pressure to make the government focus on open data. Most government agencies do not have clear understanding about value of open data.
Civil society organizations in Bangladesh stressed that government websites are not designed with user experience in mind, and overall civil society is not engaged early enough by government in consultative processes. Both private sector and civil society addressed the insufficiency, publicly unavailability, discrepancies, and absence of real time data. They also reported that published data are not user friendly – neither reusable because of its format (i.e. mostly PDF format), nor machine readable, and disaggregated data are rarely publicly available. They also stressed how government could build coordination mechanisms among different data generating agencies, how to make detailed and comprehensive data sets ready for release, why and how to establish a single data open data hub, how to ensure data accuracy, authenticity and consistency, and why government should develop a national open data policy that tells what is publishable and not publishable.
Such inclusive feedback from the civil society and private sector gives an impression of their awareness concerning open data. There also seems resilient willingness of the private sector and CSOs to get engaged with the government on matters of public interest and civic awareness building, and for co-creation concerning open data initiative. It is not clear how often events co- organized by government and non-government organizations occur to promote use of data or innovative apps.
Government of Bangladesh has multiple channels to engage with citizens, for instance, a grievance redress system with online and offline uptake channels for citizens to submit complaints to agencies, including at district and sub-strict levels. Every district administration
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7. Funding Open Data Programs
Assessment Importance Remarks It is unclear what GoB financing of open data efforts may look Medium High like though there are major investments in MIS, technical skill development by GoB and development partners.
While open data is not a high-cost effort, it does require some financing and most importantly an investment of time and attention – especially among agencies where high-value data sit. The creation of an Open Data Action Plan and its budgeting is work that remains to be done. Compared to other aspects of government budgets, this represents a relatively small – but very high leverage – investment. GoB has a track record of investing heavily in ICT, developing e-services, and targeted investment in the country’s startup ecosystem, even though financing for an open data program has not yet been committed. Many GoB agencies are investing resources into ICT and data-related projects. These efforts can be implemented in a coordinated and unified manner for production and release of machine-readable open data. This applies to GoB agencies such as: • BBS: Release of microdata as open data • BANBEIS: Release of data from annual school survey • Finance Division: release of disaggregated data from IBAS++ • Bangladesh Bank: Added releases of data, including capital flows • BCC: Identify data (and data-related training) as part of its upcoming $300 million Leveraging ICT II Project • DSHE: Release of disaggregated data from its EMIS • DPE: Release of disaggregated data from its EMIS • CPTU: Upcoming Electronic Project Management Information System (EPMIS) development could ensure its data is geo-tagged and published as open data. • NBR: Release of revenue data plus import/export data from Custom’s ASYCUDA • ERD: Release of more data from AIMS platform • a2i: release disaggregated data for 39+1 indicators on its SDG Tracker and open data from its upcoming District data portal currently under development.
8. National Technology and Infrastructure
Assessment Importance Remarks Years of investments by GoB together with private sector and High development partners have built core infrastructure at BCC and other agencies. Upgrading skills is major priority.
The national technology infrastructure is one area where years of investment by government together with private sector and development partners has made a major difference in open data readiness. It is also the foundation for much of Bangladesh’s rapid growth in mobile, social
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Mobile penetration is very high with countrywide 3G and urban-based 4G connectivity / networking support. Even at the most local level, each union council of the local government has an ICT center – a Union Information and Service Centre (UISC), an entrepreneurial initiative strongly supported by the Government of Bangladesh. Each of the 4,551 unions of Bangladesh has one UISC center for providing ICT-based services to local and often more rural communities.
Important challenges remain to support the continued acceleration of Bangladesh’s digital economy and transformation. Four areas that stand out are: (i) enabling much broader use of cloud services; (ii) further modernizing of power transmission infrastructure; (iii) lack of security certifications for major systems like IBAS, eGP, Bangladesh Bank, and NBR; and (iv) and deeper resourcing and skills in cybersecurity, a larger risk as the number of separate, siloed systems proliferates among agencies.
Perhaps the largest hurdle to overcome for open data and Bangladesh’s overall digital development is data literacy inside government and across society. Despite dramatic growth in use of smartphones, social media, and e-services, digital skills remain thin and unevenly distributed across the society. This challenge is understood by GoB, and certain large skill development efforts are underway or planned, such as a $500 million ICT skills development project for economic zones. More will need to be done.
Foundations for Open Data
Bangladesh has taken important initial steps that provide a foundation to build upon such as: ▪ Top-level political vision for a digitally enabled society and government with its Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021. This is an important guide for ongoing and future efforts. ▪ Enactment of a Right to Information Act that includes a proactive disclosure mandate that has led to many agencies publishing information publicly (though data remains locked in PDFs). ▪ Establishment of Annual Performance Agreements with each agency to drive greater accountability. ▪ Investment in robust information management systems at key agencies inside government and a rapidly growing mobile market in the country. ▪ Bangladesh Bank Open Government Data desk - Monthly Economic Trends publication downloaded free of cost in Excel file format - https://www.bb.org.bd/econdata/ ▪ Bangladesh “Statistics at a Glance” - open in BBS domain - http://bbs.gov.bd/ ▪ Creation of an open data portal at http://data.gov.bd/ to share ‘information’ for 12 broad sectors that is complemented by the SDG Tracker http://www.sdg.gov.bd/page/aboutsdgtracker/3#1. ▪ Redatam implementation in BBS domain (http://redatam.bbs.gov.bd/) for On-line Process & Open – used by most Development Partners and Research Organizations. ▪ GIS Application in BBS domain (http://gis.gov.bd/en/)(http://gis.gov.bd/en/circular.php) ▪ Small area Atlas in BBS domain (http://bbs.gov.bd/site/page/ae809524-3b71-4626-ae76- 599d94a9e9d6/-) used for Union level decision making. ▪ Census Survey Metadata portal will be launched in July 2020 http://data.bbs.gov.bd/ (late because of onset of COVID19 situation).
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Dynamics to address
The BODRA identified the following important dynamics to address in order to really accelerate open data in Bangladesh: • The culture of caution about information sharing among agencies needs to change. Similarly, the mindset among most agencies that the default for data they collect or manage is for it be secret and closely held. Instead, the mindset (and rules) need to move toward a default that data should be publicly open, unless a true reason exists to limit access and/or remove personally identifiable information. • Bringing clarity in the upper level directive and scope of open data through appropriate policies and legal backing. • Improving clarity in what open data is and how it relates to the country’s key development goals, government and society’s digital transformation, and RTI. • Increasing understanding about how vital good, detailed data from government is the oil of innovation in the 21st Century to increasing business activity, investments, and the startup ecosystem. • Joining non-government partners (startups, the developer community, CSOs, etc.) in “co- creating” new services, applications, and uses of government data. • Updating data regularly and explaining reasons for any variation in disclosures between agencies properly explained (for e.g. Export Promotion Bureau accounts for export data as soon as shipment is done, while Bangladesh Bank recognizes exports after receiving the export proceeds within 180 days from the date of export, in this case usually there is a time gap of about 6 months). Phase 1 highlights Building on strong foundations and awareness of some key challenges, the BODRA exercise found specific actions that can be taken immediately (meaning, there is plenty of “low hanging fruit”) as a Phase 1 of an Open Data Action Plan in order to operationalize open data in Bangladesh in the shorter term. A few examples of quick wins include:
Open Data Action Plan – Phase 1 Inventory & immediately release of high value data (low hanging fruit), including: ● Disaggregated Population and Demographic data (BBS) ● Disaggregated export/import data from ASYCUDA (Customs) ● BBS and BANBEIS to publish online a first set of micro-data as open data ● Health data already displayed on webpages of DGHS including its Bangladesh Health Observatory at https://dghs.gov.bd/index.php/en/data, its Health Facility Registry, and Supply Chain Management Dashboard ● Data from annual school census (DPE, DSHE) and from BANBEIS school survey ● Disaggregated iBAS++ data (budget, expenditure, loans/grants, pension data) ● Company registry ● Timely revenue data from NBR Cabinet Division and SID provide vital leadership: ● Top level of GoB defines a clear political narrative to communicate on open data ● Create inter-agency Open Data working group to set policies and review legal framework ● Identify champions to help communicate and sustain open data efforts Finance Division: ● Publishes Excel files with data for monthly reports released already in PDF ● Confirms with BBS that it can publish micro-data without any fees (revenue loss will get covered)
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Phase 2 highlights In a Phase 2 of the Action Plan, as described more fully in Section 3.3, some key medium-term actions should involve improving the existing online government data portal, so it offers timelier and more comprehensive datasets with the metadata. For example, supplementing budget and expenditure data with key performance indicators for service delivery disaggregated at the Upazila/ward level will promote Integrated Service Delivery Reporting.
The key is to have a single portal -- a single “front door” -- where people, civic organizations, and businesses can search and find available data in reusable formats. This will greatly reduce time delays and search costs while improving access to information and the ability of infomediaries to “translate” data back into information people can understand. A more functional, updated open data portal that includes the use of interactive dashboards and infographics will help make data more easily understandable to broader audiences.
In addition, there are several efforts around citizen / user engagement that can further promote growth of an active Open Data Ecosystem that helps drive economic and social development, improved public services, public sector transparency and accountability in new ways.
Open Data Action Plan – Phase 2 Cabinet Division and SID to: ● Lead Open Data Working Group and issue best practices guide for public bodies on Open Data ● Embark on education and communication campaign on the Bangladesh Open Government Strategy ● Integrate commitments to open specific data into agency Annual Performance Agreements (such as agency performance metrics for Open Data and target milestones for release of key datasets) ● Examine establishment of a policy that requires all agency Citizen Charters to maintain/release data on complaints received from citizens ● a2i to update data.gov.bd portal supported by a regular process for agencies to add/update data published through the portal ● Establish interoperability and information sharing framework ● Consider what legal instrument can be enacted to specifically address open data ● Policy / regulation to standardize how agencies share data or how to access it ● Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) to require data in upcoming Electronic Project Management Info System (EPMIS) to be geo-tagged then published as open data ● Partner with industry associations to survey private sector on most important government data to open and establish other regular G2B feedback mechanism ● Raise awareness of open data through trainings (inside and outside government) ● Invest in civic hacking events and outreach to entities promoting entrepreneurship to drive usage of open data by private sector and CSOs ● Finance Division to enable Application Programming Interface (API) access to Integrated Budget and Accounting System (iBAS++) for key agencies
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1. Introduction
1.1 Country Background
1. Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries, with an estimated 165 million people in a geographical area of about 144,415 km.2 During recent years its economic conditions have improved. GDP grew well above the average for developing countries, averaging 6.5 percent since 2010, with an officially estimated growth of 7.9 percent in FY18, driven by manufacturing and construction. Per capita income is now US$1,670 (WB Atlas method, 2018), well above the lower middle-income country category threshold that Bangladesh crossed in FY14.
2. Progress on reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity through human development and employment generation has continued with the poverty incidence based on the international US$1.90 per capita per day poverty line (measured on the basis of the purchasing power parity exchange rate) declining from 44.2 percent in 1991 to 18.5 percent in 2010 (latest available poverty data) and a projected 14.9 percent in 2016. Bangladesh’s performance against the Millennium Development Goals is impressive against the South Asia Region average for most of the economic indicators. Such progress notwithstanding, the country needs more effort in improving its growth rate to meet its target of moving up the middle-income rankings by 2021. For accelerating private sector-led growth with an improved investment climate, the key challenges are the need for increased infrastructure and power, with much improved quality in spending public resources, better regulations, and enhanced skills of its vast and rapidly increasing labor force.
1.2 Sectoral Context
3. In 2009, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) set out an ambitious “Digital Bangladesh” agenda for the country. Today, more than a decade later, it remains core to GoB’s overall strategy to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) for the country’s development. The Seventh Five Year Plan sets out comprehensive plans to use ICT to ensure citizen participation, social inclusion, and empowerment; to promote good governance and efficient delivery of public services; and to drive economic growth. The country has seen early digital government successes:
a. Build out of basic foundations for digital government such as the country’s first national- level data center, enterprise architecture, interoperability framework, and a computer emergency incident response team, through the World Bank-financed Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment, and Governance (LICT) Project. The Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), has experienced solid demand from other agencies for use of these shared digital services and infrastructure.
b. Establishment of extensive Government data networks that connect all Upazilas to high- speed Internet, enabling a government communications network that can be used for common ICT infrastructure, applications, and services across its agencies.
c. Development of its IT and IT-enabled services (IT/ITES) industry under the LICT Project
Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
that catalyzed significant increases in jobs for youth (more than one-third women) and industry revenues. The growth of this sector has cross-cutting impact across the economy as it contributes in digitalization of the private sector, and helps Bangladesh diversify into higher value exports for the country.
d. The total number of Internet subscribers reached over 93 million at the end of April 2019,2 and total number of mobile phone subscribers exceeded165 million as of the end of January 2020.3 Such mobile Internet penetration can be leveraged to make data more easily accessible by various categories of users.
4. The Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2009 provides opportunities for government and non-government institutions to significantly improve their responsiveness to citizens. Under the Act, an independent Information Commission (IC) has been established. The Ministry of Information has formulated the necessary rules under the Act, while the IC framed the regulations. Designated Officers (more than 55,000 in 2019) have been appointed to provide information under the Act. The IC has engaged civil society organizations, different professional groups and rural networks to encourage citizens to take advantage of the newly established right to access information. The IC continues to carry out public consultations in all districts to raise awareness among citizens and provide training to Designated Officers.
5. The World Bank with cooperation from United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the RTI Results Support Program that has an overarching objective of better implementing the RTI Act across Bangladesh. The Program targets both the demand side and supply side of the Act’s implementation through its multi- dimensional activities. Over the years, the Bank has supported the Information Commission and Cabinet Division to strengthen their capacity to implement the law. Despite a relatively stronger supply-side (as identified in the National RTI Survey 20194) the demand-side is lagging by a large margin. A large portion of the population is unaware of the law, and even those aware are not making the best use of the Act. The number of RTI applications is low, hinting to the scope of more and better work in augmenting the demand-side. The survey revealed that overall, a large majority (60%) of the Heads of Office reported to have taken some steps to proactively disclose information of public interest. The other 40% admitted to not taking any such steps.
6. As part of the Governments’ Performance Management System, an Annual Performance Agreement (APA) is signed between the Cabinet Secretary as the representative of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of ministries/departments. The APA was introduced to increase transparency and accountability in government activities, ensure proper use of resources, and improve institutional capacity. APA agreements set forth the strategic objectives of the concerned ministries/departments, activities undertaken to achieve these strategic objectives, and the performance indicators and targets for measuring the results. An Open Data Program can provide credibility to the evaluation of the Government Performance Management System.
7. Data transparency produces economic benefits such as lower borrowing costs, as
2 http://www.btrc.gov.bd/content/internet-subscribers-bangladesh-april-2019 3 http://btrc.gov.bd/content/mobile-phone-subscribers-bangladesh-january-2020 4 Conducted by a Consortium led by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) with Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) and Org- Quest Research Limited (OrQuest)
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services evidenced by the World Bank Policy Research Working Paper: Assessing the Returns on Investment in Data Openness and Transparency – see Box 1. An Open Data regime can also provide a fair competitive space for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) for Bangladesh.
Box 1: Assessing the Returns on Investment in Data Openness and Transparency Increased data transparency can bring substantive returns in lower costs of external borrowing. This result is obtained by estimating the impact of public data transparency on sovereign spreads conditional on the country’s level of institutional quality and public and external debt. While improving data transparency alone reduces the external borrowing costs for a country, the return is much higher when combined with stronger institutional quality and lower public and external debt. Similarly, the returns on investing in data transparency are higher when a country’s integration to the global economy deepens, as captured by trade and financial openness. Estimation of an instrumental variable regression shows that Sub-Saharan African countries could have saved up to 14.5 basis points in sovereign bond spreads and decreased their external debt burden by US$405.4 million (0.02 percent of gross domestic product) in 2018, if their average level of data transparency was that of a country in the top quartile of the upper-middle-income country category.
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (9139) Assessing the Returns on Investment in Data Openness and Transparency Megumi Kubota, Albert Zeufack, January 2020
8. The BOOST initiative is a Bank-wide collaborative effort launched in 2010 to facilitate access to budget data and promote effective use for improved decision-making processes, transparency and accountability. Open Budget Portals have created a one-stop shop for budget data by bringing visibility to and promoting use of spending data to enhance the transparency and efficiency of public spending and linking spending to relevant results. The Bangladesh BOOST currently cover public finance data from FY2011 to FY2018. When approved for public disclosure, the Bangladesh BOOST is expected to yield similar benefits to those expressed in Box 1. The raw dataset from iBAS++ is quite big and difficult to analyze which therefore requires the use of an expert analyst. The Bangladesh BOOST addresses this challenge by using tools like Tableau and PowerBI to handle various scenario and analysis and extract data in simple dashboard such as expenditure by division, the underlying data can be saved in an excel format by clicking on ‘download’ and ‘crosstab’ at the top of the page. Other features of the Bangladesh BOOST include:
- budget vs. expenditure at the level at which they are budgeted (i.e. by ministry rather than by function). Data is divided between recurrent vs. development - the classification includes administration, economic, functional classification and geographic classification at the division, district, and sub-district level. - the geographic classification uses the same scheme used for the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) which makes it possible to calculate per capita expenditure etc. - filter to screen out core budget expenditures from loan repayments and special food expenditure.
1.3 Rationale for the Bangladesh Open Data Readiness Assessment (BODRA)
9. There are significant opportunities for Bangladesh to leverage ICT for the country’s next stage of development as a middle-income country. Bangladesh’s ranking in the United Nations’ E-government Development Index improved significantly from 150 in 2012 to 115 in 2018; and the country has improved the most in 2018 amongst all least-developed countries.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
However, there remains significant room for improving Bangladesh’s use of digital government for development. Open data can help propel that forward in new ways.
10. The development objective of the proposed Bangladesh Open Data Readiness Assessment (BODRA) is to “improve transparency and accountability in the use of public funds for service delivery in Bangladesh.” The BODRA will build on the Bangladesh Open Government Data Strategy5 formulated by the Statistics and Informatics Division (Open Government Data Working Group) and will in many ways address both the demand side and the supply side of the RTI Act implementation.
11. The Bangladesh Open Government Data Strategy (2016) identified the key overall objectives for the GoB’s pursuit of open data as follows:
• To encourage development of innovative solutions for better public service delivery • To enhance the scope of research to identify and develop innovative solutions. • To create opportunities for new jobs, more investment, and an improved economy • To make government more transparent, accountable, and inclusive through citizens’ participation
12. Access to timely and reliable information is critical in promoting development and citizen participation in governance. Bangladesh has improved on most pf the World Governance Indicators in the past 10 years. However, its overall scores are still lower than the regional averages. In the ten-year period leading up to the start of the PFM Reform Strategy (2016-2021), Bangladesh maintained or slightly improved its performance in all categories, except the Voice and Accountability indicators that experienced a sharp decline. The changes in performance for all six dimensions are detailed in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1: World Governance Indicators
Source: The World Bank - World Governance Indicators.
13. Additional metrics suggest that the decline in performance in voice and accountability has continued as Bangladesh has been inconsistent in which budget documents are made publicly available in a given year. According to the 2017 Open Budget Index (OBI), the
5 https://sid.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/sid.portal.gov.bd/notices/e1531b3c_460d_49a6_82bf_36b9b61b8b1d/Open%20Go vernment%20Data(OGD)%20Strategy%202016.pdf
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Government of Bangladesh provides the public with limited budget information – see Figure 2. Since 2015, Bangladesh has decreased the availability of budget information by: not publishing the in-year reports6 online in a timely manner and not producing the citizens budget. Moreover, Bangladesh has not made progress in making the pre-budget statement available to the public or in producing an audit report.
Figure 2: Government of Bangladesh: public availability of budget documents from 2006 to 2017
14. Making government business more open to its citizens, as the RTI Act requires, will improve public service delivery, government responsiveness, as well as contribute to combating corruption and build greater citizen trust in Government. In this regard, compliance with the specific public disclosure requirements of the Public Money and Budget Management Act of 2009 below will be useful. ▪ 4. Ensuring transparency and equity in resource distribution – Information related to budget allocation and out-turns to be posted and updated regularly by all Ministries/Divisions on their websites. ▪ 15. Budget Monitoring - (3) All ministries or divisions and other institutions shall prepare and publish annual reports, in specified methods, on their financial and non-financial performance. ▪ 17. Maintain financial accounts and reporting - (3) In order to ensure sound monitoring, the Accounts Offices shall prepare a monthly and quarterly statements with financial information and data and shall forward it to the Finance Division and based on these statements the Finance Division may publish analytical reports
15. The Statistics Act (2013) empowers the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), among other responsibilities, to manage preparation of guidelines for statistics and a national strategy for development of statistics, storing and preserving data with the help of modern techniques. The Act makes every citizen, organization, and institute legally bound to provide information to BBS when required. Any authorized staff of BBS holds access to any official records and documents of government agencies for collecting statistics. The Act also makes it mandatory that all public agencies use official statistics as source of information. Any government agency producing statistics must follow the methodology and guidelines prescribed by BBS. Also, agencies require approval of the BBS to publish their own statistics. BBS is being guided by Statistics Act-2013, Statistics Rules-2014 and Census Act 1972.
6 https://mof.gov.bd/site/page/0f0724a1-73e5-47f5-b65f-a0c3f84381f7/Monthly-Fiscal-Report - Oct 2019 available as at Mar 2020
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
16. The Digital Security Act 2018 grants permission to the government to make further necessary rules in areas such as the collection, preservation, decryption of evidence or data that ought to be decided by the legislation with a view to shield the rights to freedom of expression, privacy, and due process. There is also a long-standing Official Secrets Act (1923) from the colonial era still in effect to protect sensitive, government-held data. It was cited by multiple agencies as a consideration in their reluctance to release open data.
17. This BODRA assessment has a special focus on health, education, and public financial management driven by the 7th five-year plan (7 5-YP) as shown in Box 2 below.
Box 2: 7th five-year plan (7 5-YP) focus areas Health sector - Vision 2021 of the Government envisions a country where all citizens enjoy a quality of life assured with basic health care and adequate nutrition.
Education sector - Under the 7th Plan, the human capital base will be prepared such that they are able to respond to the anticipated needs generated by a growing and changing economy. Accordingly, greater emphasis is being placed on secondary and higher education, as well as vocational and technical education, skill development training for employment and life skills training programme.
Public Financial Management (PFM) - Special attention will be given to introduce more IT based solutions in PFM area for improving transparency and efficient delivery of public services with greater transparency of public finance data in user-friendly and editable formats, such as through an Open Data Portal.
18. The BODRA will be an important conduit for Bangladesh to attain sustainable development goal (SDG) target 16: substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms; develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels; ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels; broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance; ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
1.4 Definition of Open Data
19. “Open Government Data” (OGD) refer to datasets that governments generate, collect, and possess. The term “open data” refers to data that is:
• Non-proprietary (meaning it has an open license and not copyrighted) • Machine-readable (meaning a format that software can process and not in PDF) • Publicly accessible to anyone • Free to use, reuse, and distribute for any commercial or non-commercial reasons permitted by law legal.
20. It is also important to note the difference between data and information. They are not the same thing. Data are the raw facts (such as numbers, dates, simple text) gathered about a condition, event, idea, entity, or anything else. Information is processed and interpreted data that provides an understanding about it.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
21. Key considerations7 for an open data portal are:
(i) Scope and timeliness - concerns the breadth of information disclosed online and considers the completeness, comprehensiveness, level of detail or granularity, and age and frequency of the data released; (ii) Accessibility and discoverability - concerns the extent to which governments facilitate public access to data and whether it is comprehensible and easy to find and use; includes an examination of tools available to interrogate the data, whether it is machine readable, and whether guidance is provided; (iii) Reliability - concerns the extent to which disclosure practices are in place to facilitate trust and confidence in the information and data disclosed by governments; includes examination of date stamping, whether metadata like data sources are identified, and whether changes to the data are logged and retrievable; and (iv) Feedback - concerns extent to which mechanisms are in place that allow users to respond to the data presented, to request assistance and or more data, whether user statistics are published, and whether government is transparent in how it responds to specific feedback.
22. Another important distinction to make clear is that an Open Data Program is not simply the design and launch of an Open Data Portal. A Program should aim to drive the development of a dynamic Open Data Ecosystem rich in both the supply and reuse of Open Data by many types of stakeholders. Experience among leading governments has demonstrated that Open Data Programs are more sustainable and high-impact when Open Data efforts use an “ecosystem” approach – meaning governments invest not only in supplying data but also address the policy/legal framework, institutional readiness, capacity building (for government and infomediaries), citizen engagement, innovation financing and technology infrastructure.
23. An Open Data portal needs to be a platform for easy discovery and access to data that also enables two-way communication designed to serve different users. This is what makes it a portal, and not simply a ministry website or a webpage with official information but little data access. Therefore, GoB will need to play a multi-dimensional role in the Open Data Ecosystem and create new types of partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders. Global transparency and accountability is gaining momentum as shown in Box 3. From the Open Government Partnership to the International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Index, and the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency, there is growing momentum both at the national and multinational level around the budget and fiscal transparency and participation agenda. When implemented properly, transparency and participation have been shown to promote greater accountability around the use of public funds; prevent corruption by maintaining high standards of integrity; increase trust in government; and encourage better fiscal outcomes and more responsive, impactful, and equitable public policies (OECD 2017). It also allows for more informed, inclusive debates about the impacts of budget policy on the lives of citizens. For example, thanks to the U.S.’s Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, citizens can now access easily understandable, disaggregated data on government expenditure. With this information, they can engage in evidence-based discussions with their elected national representatives on government spending priorities and petition for policy
7 Lessons from global online fiscal disclosure practices World Bank, FMIS group Jorge Romero León May 19th, 2016.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services changes based on hard data8.
Box 3: Global transparency and accountability momentum • The Global Initiative on Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) has developed ten high level principles that expands on the government’s fiscal responsibility and puts together global norms to adhere to. • The Global Movement for Budget Transparency, Accountability, and Participation (BTAP) working with citizens and civil society organizations has launched a Make Budgets Public NOW! Campaign focused on ensuring basic standards of open budgeting are met around the world. • OECD has a framework to assess disclosed data quality and integrity and best practices for budget transparency but is not meant to constitute as a “formal” standard for evaluating budget transparency. • The Open Government Partnership (OGP) managed by a steering committee of eight governments and nine civil society members have specific module on budget transparency and reporting standards. • The International Budget Partnership (IBP) is working with civil society to ensure that government budgets are more responsive to the needs of low-income people. IBP carries out its work through a number of programs and activities which includes the flagship Open Budget Survey and Open Budget Index which is the only independent, comparative, regular measure of budget transparency around the world. The survey conducts an objective measure of 100 countries on public availability and comprehensiveness of budget information. A subset of questions from the Open Budget Survey is used to construct the Open Budget Index (the OBI) to present a hard score, ranging from 0 to 100. • Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) • IMF Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency, revised 2007 • Manual on Fiscal Transparency - International Monetary Fund • IMF Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency (2007)
1.5 Methodology
24. The ODRA methodology is not a quantitative evaluation but a qualitative one. Some dimensions are more important than others. The full methodology is available on-line from http://opendatatoolkit.worldbank.org/. The assessment was carried out through desk review of existing literature, consultation workshop, series of interviews with key stakeholders from Government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the private sector.
25. The ODRA is a diagnostic tool that establishes how well-positioned Bangladesh is to move forward on open data (i.e. its readiness or the lack of) to realize the socio-economic potential of it. The ODRA methodology is not a quantitative evaluation but a qualitative one. Some dimensions are more important than others. There are eight most important dimensions which have been found to need consideration and action at the earliest stages of a typical Open Data program are shown in Figure 3.
8 http://www.theaccountant-online.com/comments/improving-public-sector-management-and- performance-the-case-for-accrual-accounting-5845244
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Figure 3: The eight most important dimensions of an open data ecosystem
The full methodology is available on-line from http://opendatatoolkit.worldbank.org/
26. The assessment was carried out through desk review of existing literature, consultation workshop, series of interviews with key stakeholders from Government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the private sector. The evaluation of each dimension and primary question is color-coded as shown in Figure 4. When addressing the questions used for assessing each of the dimensions, evidence of readiness is scored with a “ ” sign, evidence against readiness is scored with a “ ” sign and evidence that has mixed implications or neither favors nor weighs against readiness are scored with a “ ” sign. Figure 4: Dimensional colour coding Color Interpretation Green (G) means there is clear evidence of readiness
Yellow (Y) means that evidence of readiness is less clear
Red (R) means there is evidence for absence of readiness
Grey (O) means insufficient information to assess readiness
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27. Not all evidence is weighed equally when determining the overall color indicator for a given primary dimension. Certain factors may weigh more heavily when deciding readiness status. It is important to note that the assessment’s ratings are not intended to reflect how well Bangladesh is or is not currently doing with open data, as the assessment is neither a score card nor an evaluation to compare the country’s performance with other countries around the world. For each dimension it highlights which elements (evidence) are conducive to an open data program, and the presence or absence of certain elements that are likely to become obstacles to advance it. On that basis actions are recommended, as stand-alone and/or in addition to existing programs and initiatives, to bring open data forward more purposefully and successfully in the country.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services 2. Assessment of ODRA Dimensions and Evidence
28. This chapter evaluates readiness based on eight (8) dimensions considered essential for an open data initiative to build a sustainable open data ecosystem.
2.1 Senior Leadership Importance Very High 29. Why is high-level leadership so important for open data to succeed? The short answer is: whole-of-government data initiatives require political will. Each release of a dataset as open data requires a decision -- often a political decision -- by the leader of an agency or sometimes from the very top of government. In addition, open data requires changes - in the legal framework, agency processes, technical workflows, and institutional culture.
30. Focused, strong, sustained, political/senior leadership is critical for open data efforts to have real impact. It helps overcome resistance and inertia of all kinds within government, helps incentivize actors to make the necessary changes in a timely and effective manner and to achieve the desired objectives and benefits of an Open Data Program.
31. The rating of leadership readiness focuses on three core issues: (i) whether top leaders have expressed publicly visible support for open data; (ii) whether there is support for open data among key data-owning agencies; and (iii) whether the broader political context and national priorities/plans help or hinder open data.
Assessment Importance YELLOW
Very High
Tending to
GREEN
32. The GoB’s political leadership has a demonstrated ability to mobilize the government and society to support a nationwide vision while also organizing multi-agency efforts and coordination. The national drive to achieve the objectives of its 7th Five-Year Plan and Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 are good examples. However, to date there is little awareness about Open Government Strategy (2016) among government and non-government stakeholders. If open data and its impacts are seen as important and a priority, the GoB can drive results by demonstrating and sustaining more top-level political leadership. The GoB can activate open data with a practical action plan combined with awareness campaigns and use promotion efforts both within and outside government.
33. Currently, there are very few real champions of open data in agencies, in part because many agencies do not yet understand the value or benefits of open data. The Bangladesh Bank
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services is a notable exception as it has created an Open Government Data desk in its Statistics Department. Bangladesh Bank and took another step forward in making its vast repository of data accessible to the general public. Data from the Monthly Economic Trends publication can now be easily downloaded by anyone interested, free of cost, into an Excel file9. To be most effective, it is important that agencies like BBS become open data champions. By law and its expertise, BBS is central to Bangladesh’s data collection and analysis system. Strong open data initiatives need active leadership and engagement by the national statistics office like BBS. This is especially important when other important coordinating bodies have less technical capacity and data management experience.
Evidence
To what extent is there visible political leadership of Importance: Evidence 2.1.1 Open Data/Open Government/Access to information? Very High
GoB enacted RTI Act in 2009 and RTI infrastructure exists at all levels of government. Government leaders are fully aware of RTI and the general right to information that citizens have. Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 has been championed at the very top of GoB since its announcement in 2008. The a2i program, which began in the Prime Minister’s Office, enjoys top level political support – and it is heavily involved in building and managing government-wide data portals, including an initial version of an open data portal at https://www.data.gov.bd as well as a separate dashboard called the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Tracker http://www.sdg.gov.bd. In recent time, political priority has gone to the SDG Tracker leaving the data portal with little update in past couple years. There are very few real champions of open data in agencies, in part because many agencies do not yet understand the value or benefits of open data. The Bangladesh Bank may be one exception; it created an Open Government Data desk in its Statistics Department. More than one agency said it is ready to implement open data efforts and is just waiting to hear what top political leadership wants and receive some technical guidance.
To what extent is there an established political leadership and governance model for policy and Importance: Evidence 2.1.2 implementation of programs across multiple High institutions or across government as a whole?
The Open Government Data Strategy’ document (English) is approved by the Minister. As part of the development process, GoB created an OGD Strategy Review and Formulation Committee under Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) to enable multi-agency review of the OGD draft Strategy Paper. Not clear if the Committee has had any meaningful activities since then.
When the SDG Tracker was originally created, a2i led a cross-governmental effort that resulted in over 70 government entities involving nearly 170 people who provided or reviewed/approved information and data relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals.
9 https://www.bb.org.bd/econdata/
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What existing political activities or plans are relevant Importance: Evidence 2.1.3 to Open Data? Medium
Open data aligns well with key national strategies that have the highest priority from the GoB – including the current 7th Five-Year Plan aiming to achieve Bangladesh’s status as a middle-income country by 2021 and the Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 plan to drive the country’s digital transformation. GoB issued an Open Government Data Strategy in 2016, and there was a 4-day national training on OGD conducted in 2016. However, there is very little awareness of the Open Government Data Strategy among government agencies or outside government. It does not yet have an Action Plan for it.
How does the wider political context of the country Importance: Evidence 2.1.4 help or hinder Open Data? High
The country’s drive to reach middle income country status by 2021 and developed country status by 2041 as well as its push for digital transformation together create “tailwinds” that could also help move open data forward. GoB has a track record of driving toward digital governance and a more digitally oriented society. GoB first adopted a National ICT Policy in 2002 followed by series of reforms. Its most recent amendment in 2018 focused on 8 strategic issues: digital government, digital security, social equity and universal access to education, research and innovation, skill development and employment generation, and strengthening domestic capacity to cope with the change of emerging technologies. Government has a reputation for tight “message control” and, as in most governments, GoB agencies are reluctant to admit mistakes or release evidence showing poor performance. Certain laws and policies when taken together create a restrictive legal environment for data access (such as the Official Secrets Act of 1923, Digital Security Act of 2018, and Social Media Usage policies).
How is the country’s position in relation to the Open Importance: Evidence 2.1.5 Government Partnership? High
Bangladesh is not yet a member of the Open Government Partnership. It is not clear whether GoB has openly expressed a view on its intention to join. Participation in the OGP process and open data related events can raise awareness (and readiness) to implement the GoB’s open data efforts. The ongoing PFM reform program has a disbursement linked result for detailed budget execution reports to be published by the Finance Division on MoF’s official website on a quarterly basis.
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2.2 Policy and Legal Framework Importance High 34. Context: The long-term success and sustainability of an Open Data Program depends greatly on the enabling policy and legal framework. Open Data requires that a range of policy and legal issues be addressed – for example, with respect to the licensing and reuse of data, ensuring privacy and data protection, and anonymizing personal and personally identifiable data. It is important to identify at an early stage the existing policies, laws and regulations with respect to a core set of issues, and to identify actual or perceived obstacles in order that policy or legal change can be initiated early if essential. It is recommended that qualified local counsel, familiar with these subject matter areas, assisted by qualified “international” legal counsel with relevant experience perform the legal assessment.
35. The rating of the policy and legal framework readiness focuses on six core issues: (i) existence and effectiveness of RTI Act; (ii) privacy protections; (iii) systems security and archiving/preservation; (iv) use of anonymization; (v) ownership and licensing of government data; and (vi) sale of government-owned data.
Assessment Importance
Very High
YELLOW
36. The major legal framework that provides overall guidance to government information is the Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2009. This provides a framework and infrastructure/processes for both the public right to request information as well as an affirmative proactive release obligation on government. One major challenge is that the RTI regime applies to “information” so how “data” fits into this since the requirements for releasing information do not create a clear obligation to release the actual data involved. As a result, decisions about data release sit with agencies. Many have said they need more specific guidance about what data to release and when. Also, the RTI Act comes with a list of exemptions which need to be revisited if it applies for public data.
37. The Information Communication Technology Act (2006) and Digital Security Act of 2018 create a generalized outline for data protection, but they do not specifically address government-held data – its protection, management, or release. However, they contain provisions that could be applied in ways that could punish legitimate use of open data – creating a risk that legal readiness might slip to red status. Another issue is the presence of the Official Secrets Act of 1923, which agencies still offer as a reason not to release data publicly – even categories of data with no element of secrecy attached to them. The Act criminalizes communication of information by officials (a) to any unauthorized person or (b) “in any other manner prejudicial to the safety of the State.” Even if not actively enforced, these provisions—drafted almost 100 years ago—still cause concern among officials as they consider open data for non-sensitive administrative data commonly published by governments around the world.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
38. Interviews did not identify any agencies that have developed their own internal regulations or formal policies on data or privacy protection. As a result, agencies seem to rely on their own individual practices for data management. The Cabinet Division is in the process of drafting a Records Management Policy which will provide an overarching guideline to all the ministries on how to store, preserve and manage records or data.
39. This does not mean that GoB agencies do not publish information for public access; they do. They also respond to requests for information under the RTI process. However, they also act with great caution, publish reports irregularly, or release information on a case-by-case basis. This creates an environment in which the availability of data (or even just information) is uncertain.
40. The existing legal framework still offers a great opportunity to move open data forward. Current laws do not prohibit open data or make it impossible to release. With some more specific regulation to guide them, agencies have indicated they will release data that will be useful for the public, private sector, researchers, and CSOs.
Evidence
What is the legal and policy framework for the Importance: Evidence 2.2.1 protection of personal privacy? Very High
ICT Act, RTI Act, and Digital Security Act taken together create a general set of rules for personal data protection. There is not yet a well-elaborated classification system for administrative data specifically aimed at protection of personal privacy and personally identifiable data (PII) held by government. The ICT Act forbids the disclosure of confidential or private information in electronic records, registers, documents, etc. without consent. BCC has said that a Data Privacy and Protection Act is being drafted now.
There is no law that specifically addresses public sector data protection and release. The ICT Act does not address government-held data and how it can be anonymized or aggregated before release to ensure privacy protections. The handling and (non) disclosure rules for personal biodata, individual health records, and other PII in addition to the proper classification of security information (including cyber related security) is needed to ensure agencies have the legal standards and guidance they need as they shift more and more to a digitally enabled government. A long-standing Official Secrets Act from 1923 is still in effect to protect sensitive, government-held data. It was cited by multiple agencies as a consideration in their reluctance to release open data.
41. As illustrated in Figure 5, GoB can adopt policies and issues procedures for huge volume of data that can and should be publicly available (as open data) that is neither secret or requires restriction to government use only.
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Figure 5: Example of Data Classification
Importance: Evidence 2.2.2 What rights of access to information exist? Very High
Bangladesh has a Right to Information Act that was enacted in 2009. It is well known across the government, and there is a notable RTI “infrastructure” of assigned RTI officers, feedback channels on government websites, and processes that exist. Awareness about RTI seems fairly high among government officials.
Public use of RTI requests over the past 10 years has been modest overall, perhaps because many people remain unclear how the RTI process works and how requests get handled. The RTI Act does not cover the large universe of administrative data – which includes a huge amount of high-value data that governments around the world commonly open. The RTI Act also includes a “proactive disclosure” obligation for government entities. In theory, this could support an agency’s decision to release open data but in reality it is unclear since the RTI speaks about “information” not “data.”
Compliance by agencies with this aspect of the RTI Act has been mixed. A 2018 study found implementation improved but still mixed – 17 of 57 divisions have fully complied while some backtracked.
42. Public access to key public financial information even if it is simply display at notice boards at the service delivery facility can help in reducing leakages as was seen in Uganda (Figure 5). In Bangladesh, the laws governing budget, accounts and audit of the Union Parishad (UP) are guided by the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, 2009 and the Union Parishad (Accounts and Audit) Rules, 2012. Chapter 2, section 6(2) requires that “ward meeting shall analyze all reports it receives; on top of notable activities mentioned in subsection 1, including budget classification of various development projects, work plan, activity wise budget allocation, forecasting, procurement of goods for various works will be put on a board with the aim to inform citizens”. Copy of the annual statement of accounts shall be placed at a conspicuous place in the office of the Local Government Institution (LGI) for public inspection and all objections or suggestions concerning such accounts received from the public shall be considered by the LGI.
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Figure 6: Example of benefit of disclosure of public financial information
What is the legal and policy framework for data Importance: Evidence 2.2.3 security, data archiving and digital preservation? High
Bangladesh has a Digital Security Act (2018) – but some officials said that how it aligns with the RTI Act is not always clear. The RTI Act does speak to preserving certain information. BCC is currently working on drafting a Data Privacy and Protection Act.
BCC is currently working on drafting regulations on use of cloud computing by the GoB to provide agencies the guidance they need to increase their adoption of cloud. It was not determined whether any laws exist with respect to data archiving or digital preservation by the public sector – however an Archives Act is being drafted.
What is the policy on the ownership and licensing of Importance: Evidence 2.2.4 government data? Very High
A review of a sample of government websites publishing data showed that none use any “open” licenses like Creative Commons. Most seem to “reserve all rights” under copyright for all content on their websites and have terms that do not specifically address licensing of data. With certain exceptions like BCC, awareness about data licensing and open licenses like Creative Commons appears limited among agencies.
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Importance: Evidence 2.2.5 To what extent is government data sold by agencies? High
While it appears that most agencies do not sell government data, currently BBS does charge for access to its microdata – which would be very useful to release as open data. The RTI Act has a provision that allows agencies to sell publications “at a reasonable price.”10 If an agency only releases data as part of a publication, this enables them to in effect sell their data. The Finance Division did express a view that the sale of data, where it exists, is unlikely to represent a significant amount of any agency’s budget.
What other policies/laws exist that may have Importance: Evidence 2.2.6 significant impact on Open Data? High
Reflecting regulatory structures that still require updating for a digital world, Bangladesh ranked 176th out of 190 countries in the Doing Business Index.11 Agencies and private sector / CSOs expressed the view that the Open Government Data Strategy (2016) does not have the legal authority it needs to be effective. Open Data should be addressed in a legal instrument with higher level of authority than a strategy document. Bangladesh has a Statistics Act (2013), but as with the RTI Act it does not clearly address publication of “data.” It defines “statistics” as information. Also, it does not clearly state a requirement for public release. Digital Security Act contains provisions that empower the Digital Security Agency to investigate any citizen for uses of data that may in fact be legitimate (and issue heavy fines or prison terms); and empowers the police to arrest without warrant on suspicion that a crime may be committed using digital media. These provisions have not been more specifically defined to ensure that fair uses of data are safe from misuses of the law – and could also undermine the RTI Act. It was not determined whether any agencies have any exclusive arrangements concerning sharing datasets with third parties.
Disclaimer The preliminary analysis and recommendations in this section are based on information and opinions collected from interviews undertaken and materials provided by the government and other local stakeholders during this study. This section is not based on detailed, legal due diligence and does not constitute legal advice. Accordingly, no inference should be drawn as to the completeness, adequacy, accuracy or suitability of the underlying assessment, or recommendations, or any actions that might be undertaken resulting therefrom, regarding the enabling policy, legal or regulatory framework for Open Data in the country. It is therefore recommended that, prior to undertaking any legal action to address any legal assessment issue raised herein, a formal legal due diligence be performed by competent, locally qualified legal counsel, preferably assisted by international legal experts with relevant experience and knowledge of these areas.
10 Right to Information Act (2009), Chapter 2, section 6(6). 11 Doing Business 2019, World Bank Group, 2019.
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2.3 Institutional Structures, Responsibilities and Capabilities within Government Importance High
43. Context: While political and senior leadership is vital, middle management level skills and leadership are also important to success. Creating an Open Data Program requires agencies to manage data assets with a transparent, organized process for data gathering, security, quality control and release. To effectively carry out these responsibilities, agencies need to have (or develop) clear business processes for data management as well as staff with adequate ICT skills and technical understanding of data (e.g., formats, metadata, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), databases).
44. Engagement among agencies and at all levels of government to set common standards and remove impediments to data interoperability and exchange is also vital and requires mechanisms for inter-agency collaboration. In addition to handling the “supply side” of creating an Open Data Program, agencies need the structures and capabilities to engage with communities that reuse Open Data — including developers, companies, non-governmental organizations, other agencies and individual citizens.
45. The rating of institutional readiness focuses on three core issues: (i) expressed readiness of an agency with sufficient political weight and competency to lead on open data; (ii) track record of inter-agency mechanisms coordinating major ICT or Open Government initiatives; and (iii) existence and effectiveness of positions comparable to a CIO/CTO within agencies responsible for strategic ICT decisions and management.
Assessment Importance
High
YELLOW
46. Bangladesh has an Open Government Data Strategy, and now will benefit from having an action plan to put it into operation. The Cabinet Division has overall coordinating power for this as part of its larger responsibilities and convening powers – and has tasked the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics to manage the effort to develop the action plan. Going forward, it makes sense for the Cabinet Division to exercise a central role since effective open data programs have scope and priorities that extend beyond just statistical data. Many of the most valuable data to open is more administrative and owned by other line ministries. The depth of technical talent within the Cabinet Division was not determined.
47. Open Data leadership will be able to build upon the GoB’s track record of inter-agency collaboration and mechanisms for major ICT initiatives. a2i led a cross-governmental effort involving over 70 government entities and nearly 170 people to join in the exercise to collect, review, and approve a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework to track Bangladesh’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. In general, it is the Cabinet Division, the ICT Division, BCC, and a2i Programme that most commonly lead major whole-of-government ICT activities. At the same time, individual agencies exercise a large amount of decision-making power
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services with respect to their ICT infrastructure, data management, and information/data publication.
48. Few Chief Information Officers (CIOs) exist within the GoB to date. However, many agencies have established an Innovation Team to be led by a Chief Innovation Officer and an Innovation Officer at the Directorate/Agency/District/Upazila level. The impact of this was not determined.
Evidence
Which agency or agencies have relevant capabilities, mandates, project management experience and Importance: Evidence 2.3.1 technical skills to be a suitable lead institution in the Very High planning and implementation of an Open Data Program?
The Cabinet Division serves as a key coordinator among agencies and is directly involved in many digital initiatives and programs. For this reason and its top-level position in GoB, it might be an effective partner with SID for open data – though it may need to allocate added capable supporting personnel to manage a full whole-of-government effort. BBS, given its role in the country’s statistical and data production system as well as its data expertise, should have a lead technical role in the GoB’s open data efforts – for example, providing key standards on formats, metadata, and data processing methodologies. The Planning Division with the Ministry of Planning coordinates development activities of individual ministries, divisions and agencies in a number of important areas. a2i has the project management experience and technical skills to operate and manage the open government data portal.
Which, if any, agencies have a CIO, CTO or Importance: Evidence 2.3.2 permanent official positions dedicated to data Medium management? High
The BODRA exercise only found one agency that had appointed a CIO – the Information Division. Neither CIO nor CTO are roles that are well established yet within GoB. There are agencies that do have dedicated staff for data and database management. Examples include Ministry of Primary Education, Ministry of Higher Education, MOH, BANBEIS, BCC, and others. Many agencies do have an Innovation Team led by a Chief Innovation Officer. It was not determined what impact such teams and roles have on their agencies or their mission.
Importance: What inter-agency mechanisms coordinate ICT issues Evidence 2.3.3 Medium (such as for technical matters)? High
GoB has organized inter-agency mechanisms on multiple occasions including for ICT-related issues. One example is the 2019 National Data Coordination Committee that included 43 Ministries with an initial focus on gathering data needed for the SDG Tracker.
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What process is currently used to measure agency Importance: Evidence 2.3.4 performance or quality of service delivery? Medium
Five years ago, the Government of Bangladesh’s agency performance system shifted from using an Annual Confidential Report (ACR) based individual performance evaluation system to portfolio or institutional results focused Governance Performance Management System (GPMS). Currently individual performance of a government officer is being evaluated based on both ACR and institutional Annual Performance Indicators, while government agency performance is measured based on Annual Performance Agreement (APA) and Annual Performance Indicators. Within a ministry, a lower agency head signs APA with the upper level agency head, for instance, heads of directorates of a ministry sign APAs with the secretary of the ministry. In inter ministries case, concerned secretary of a ministry gets signed APA with the cabinet secretary of the Cabinet Division, under the leadership of Prime Minister of the country. A link of the guidelines for APA is given below: https://cabinet.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/cabinet.portal.gov.bd/page/089de62d_b4d1_4 aa7_a879_bc9d483d9b2c/APA%20GUIDELINES%202014-15%20(1).pdf Currently, the GoB is practicing an institutional performance management system to measure the quality of public service delivery. To a great extent, this system is built on the country’s Right to Information Act, National Integrity Strategy and e-Government platform Recent digital developments corresponding to social media, mobile apps, online services, information and to some extent data releasing have had some positive effects on the government performance measurement. GoB plans to invest more to improve public sector performance.
Government open data strategy, linked with agency performance or service delivery measurement system, has not yet been implemented, although the OGD Strategy addresses the fact that opening up access to different types of data to citizens and the private sectors has been demonstrated to have many positive impacts such as increased public service efficiency, accountability of government and empowering citizens.12 A rewards and sanctions system linking to results is not yet strongly shaped with the current agency performance measurement or service quality monitoring and measurement tools.
Which agency or ministry is primarily responsible for Importance: Evidence 2.3.5 data or statistics? Medium
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has long-standing lead responsibility for country’s statistical system under the Statistics Act of 2013. It collects and distributes official statistics on behalf of the GoB Over the past 15 years, Bangladesh’s broader ecosystem for official statistics and development data compares well relative to other lower income countries and the South Asia region, as evidenced by the World Bank’s Statistical Capacity Indicator Dashboard.13 BANBEIS has specific authority to collect and distribute statistics related to the education sector – and manages a large survey of educational institutions. BANBEIS produce the education development index (EDI) that considers a number of influential factors which are important for primary education at the Upazila level (sub-districts).
12https://sid.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/sid.portal.gov.bd/notices/e1531b3c_460d_49a6_82bf_36b9b61b8b1d/Open%20Government%20 Data(OGD)%20Strategy%202016.pdf (P.3, Retrieved on March 18, 2020) 13 See http://datatopics.worldbank.org/statisticalcapacity/SCIdashboard.aspx
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There are other types of statistical data that are collected and published by individual agencies. For example, FD, DGHS, and NBR release some data on financial and health indicators. Which agencies or ministries appear most concerned about the release of data, and what is the basis of Importance: Evidence 2.3.6 their concern? How can they be handled High procedurally, and how can their concerns be addressed?
One reality for agencies is that they are very reluctant to release data that shows poor performance of government projects. This is politically sensitive. This discourages agencies from publishing data that relates to performance. Agencies also voiced concerns that they lacked enough specific guidance about how to approach decisions about open data. Some agencies also pointed to the Official Secrets Act as something that caused them to hesitate to publish data in general.
How strong is the government’s overall ICT skill base Importance: Evidence 2.3.7 among senior government leaders and civil servants? Medium
Data literacy is a significant gap at all levels of the GoB. In terms of data management, agencies have more administrators than data workers. When asked, most agencies said they do not have a proper analytics team or enough people with analytical skills to make the most use of the data they have for decision-making and planning. Importance: Evidence 2.3.8 What is the government’s presence on the Web? Medium
The GoB has a strong web presence. Its central portal -- https://www.bangladesh.gov.bd/ -- is a gateway to websites for every agency as well as sub-national levels of government. Other examples are included in Annex A of this report. All ministries and district have their own websites. There are separate websites for some major e-services such as the e-GP procurement portal operated by CPTU and the ASYCUDA system run by Customs. A 2018 study of GoB proactive disclosure efforts found that 47 out of 57 government bodies assessed ranked Strong or Very Strong in their overall levels of availability and usability of their disclosures of the eight types of information that the RTI Act addresses. But note: proactive disclosure requirements only speak to information, not data itself.
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2.4 Government Data Management Policies and Procedures Importance High 49. Context: Open Data programs can build on established digital data sources and information management procedures within government where they already exist. Where data is only available in paper form it will be hard to release as Open Data and in reusable format quickly and cheaply. Conversely, good existing information management practices within government can make it much easier to find data and associated metadata and documentation, identify business ownership, assess what needs to be done to release it as Open Data and put processes in place that make the release of data a sustainable, business-as-usual, downstream process as part of day-to-day information management.
50. The rating of readiness for Government Data Management focuses on three core issues: (i) how and where data is held by government; (ii) the visibility of agencies into their data holdings; and (iii) the existence of key data-owning agencies with demonstrable capabilities in data management.
Assessment Importance YELLOW
High
Tending to
GREEN
51. Lots of high-value data exist in agency systems, some published in PDFs, but little is available in machine-readable formats. Not much high-value data are released yet - but lots of quick wins are possible. Currently SDGs and constituency related data get priority of the government, but public and agency awareness is still a concern. A2i is facilitating this process robustly. Little of the GoB data that is released is disaggregated or in reusable format. A Constituency Tracker - to make constituency related data available for the legislators only – is also built by a2i. To date, there is no linkage between budget and expenditure data and the SDGs and constituency trackers.
52. Other citizenry important data sets, for instance, disaggregated export-import data, health data at Upazilla and facility level, hospital bed and utilization data per hospital, data from annual school census, disaggregated iBAS++, budget, public expenditure and revenue, pension, payments data, data on underutilized allocated resources, statistical data, deprivation index (poverty) data at union level are getting less priority to release. Both civil society and private sector stressed that lack of timely and disaggregated data plus non-disclosure of methodology, data taxonomy or metadata were major weaknesses in current data sets of the government of Bangladesh.
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53. Data held by GoB is highly siloed among divisions and government entities. Most agencies have a culture of caution when it comes to publishing data. Agencies do publish a notable number of reports on websites, but often missing for recent years and data is almost always locked in a report in PDF format. There is a centralized data portal data.gov.bd. Most agencies do not put data there and much of its data is outdated. Some agencies (e.g. Finance, Health, Education, and CPTU) have robust information management systems and manage significant volumes of data that could be open. Multiple agencies use APIs internally. Few enable others to use them (neither eGP nor MoH EMIS have opened APIs to iBAS++). Some expect a2i to create public APIs for open data. Notable duplication of systems and data among agencies, e.g., multiple payment systems (IBAS, and CPTU) is evident. This creates data inconsistency problems (e.g., tax revenue numbers do not match among agencies).
Evidence
What are the policies and practices on management Importance: Evidence 2.4.1 of government information? High
There are plenty of enabling policy and legal documents of the Government of Bangladesh concerning the management of government information and data. Some of the key policy documents are: Right to Information Act 2009, ICT Policy 2009, ICT Act 2009, Strategic Priorities of Digital Bangladesh Vision 2011, The Disclosure of Public Interest Information (Protection) Act, 2011, Statistics Act, 2013, Open Government Data Strategy 2016, the Bangladesh Digital Security Act 2018. The RTI Act is intended to ensure free flow of information and address people's right to information. The Act includes provision of proactive disclosure, a long list of information that must be proactively published, in spite of the fact that it does not explicitly mention that such information should be available online. A World Bank report on implementation of the RTI for 2014-2018, identifies the areas where implementation has underperformed the promises of the RTI Act, in particular: lack of awareness, capacity issues, the need for an increased political support, the lack of an internal coordinating body within the Government.14 Bangladesh Open Government Data Strategy (2016) exists on paper but is not yet actionable. Agencies have limited awareness of it.
To what extent does the government have a coherent Importance: Evidence 2.4.2 view of its data holdings? Medium
Among the agencies interviewed during the BODRA exercise, most seem to know what data they possess. In areas related to the SDGs, the work of the GoB and especially the 43 Ministries included in the National Data Coordination Committee have given GoB good visibility into the data it has (and what data is missing) in order to track progress on SDGs indicators. Beyond discussions with agencies, the fact that information and data is so siloed in many systems – and on many different agency websites and webpages when published – makes it difficult for anyone to have true visibility about the GoB data holdings overall.
14 Implementation of the RTI Act https://www.article19.org/resources/country-report-the-right-to-information-in-bangladesh/ (Retrieved on March 18, 2020)
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There is a centralized data portal data.gov.bd. Most agencies do not hold data there – which means citizens and data seekers outside of government also cannot easily understand what data is available from government.
Importance: Evidence 2.4.3 How and where is government data held? High
Some agencies (Finance, Health, Education, CPTU) have robust information management systems and manage significant volumes of data that could be open. In general, agencies like BB, BBS, BANBEIS, DSHE, DPE, DHS, CPTU, NBR, FD, ERD, IMED, and a2i generate and hold large volumes of data. There is notable duplication of systems and data among agencies -- e.g., multiple payment systems (IBAS, Water Board, CPTU). This creates data inconsistency problems (e.g., tax, revenue numbers don’t match numbers among agencies). Even when public access does not exist, there are GoB agencies using the Internet to create easier online access to data for official use. The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education’s Education Management Information System is one example – offering password- protected access through an online portal at http://emis.gov.bd/emis as well as PDF and Excel downloads of certain data for the public. Both civil society and private sector stressed that lack of timely and disaggregated data plus non-disclosure of methodology, data taxonomy or metadata were major weaknesses in current data sets of the government of Bangladesh.
What is the extent of intra- and inter-government Importance: Evidence 2.4.4 actual demand and latent demand for data? High
There is a very strong demand among agencies for data held by other agencies. This is especially true for data in the Finance Division’s IBAS++ system, the e-GP procurement system, and export/import data (to the 8-digit or 10-digit code) from the ASYCUDA system managed by Customs under NBR. Certain sectoral data also has strong inter-agency demand – such as education data from DSHE and DPE. These two departments themselves have data demands that are not met – such as easy access to data for civil registrations and birth registrations which are important for school enrollments and planning but not easily available. In discussing inter-government demand for public revenue data, NBR noted that its data (revenue, customs, tax, etc.) is sought after by a range of agencies like the Finance Division, Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh Bank, and Ministry of Planning – again demonstrating that inter-agency demand for data is, unsurprisingly, very strong. Multiple agencies use APIs internally. Few enable others to use them (neither eGP nor MoH EMIS have opened APIs to iBAS++). Some expect a2i to create public APIs for open data Somewhat surprisingly, BBS noted relatively weak demand for its statistical data by other agencies (as opposed to demand by researchers and universities). This might reflect the limited personnel across GoB with the analytical skills to use detailed statistical data. Inter-government data exchange practices are inconsistent, but demand for data between international development partners (like WB & UNDP) and GoB is also strong.
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What data is already made available to users outside Importance: Evidence 2.4.5 of government - either free or for a fee - and on what High conditions?
Agencies do publish a notable number of reports on a large number of GoB websites.
However, published reports and information are often missing for recent years and data is almost always locked in a report in PDF format. Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) is a great example of what is common today and what is easily possible with open data. The annual survey it conducts of schools (government, MPO, and private) generates a huge amount of high-value data held in its IEIMS system that is published in reports (hard copy, PDF, and on webpages) in varying degrees of disaggregation. This could easily be released as open data. A limited number of agencies do make data available for download in machine-readable formats (though without an open license). DSHE is a good example – Excel download of data is possible from www. http://emis.gov.bd, and some of this data is very disaggregated (e.g., land use by each school). However, some remains too aggregated, some is only downloadable in PDF format, and a lot of historical data seems missing. This could be further improved by allowing bulk download of more disaggregated data in more categories. DGHS has multiple portals that discloses a lot of very valuable information and data publicly – for example through its Bangladesh Health Observatory at https://dghs.gov.bd/index.php/en/data, its Health Facility Registry, and Supply Chain Management (eLMIS) Dashboard (though they do not yet have any easy way to download the data in bulk) The SDG Tracker does make aggregated data for its 39+1 indicators available for download in CSV and Excel.
However, the data is literally just the national figure for each indicator with zero disaggregation. Bangladesh Bank seems to be a leader in the GoB’s open government data agenda, in terms of proactively publishing available for all. BB has realized the importance of publishing reusable data. CPTU has been a leader in both making procurement more transparent with its publicly accessible e-Government Procurement (e-GP) portal. It is currently working a Citizens Portal to disclose procurement data following the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), supported by the ongoing DIMAPP Project. CPTU is awaiting GoB approval for this data disclosure.
What practical experience does the government have Importance: Evidence 2.4.6 in anonymizing personal data? High
Multiple agencies collect and anonymize personal data that ends up being released in some aggregated form publicly (usually in PDF reports and sometimes as data). Examples include: BBS with statistical/survey data; DSHE with its exam results, graduate, repeater, and class data; and NBR with revenue data. Agencies are much aware of the provision in the RTI Act that lists 20 exemptions to data release that broadly include state security; international relations; commercial secrets and intellectual property rights; tax and budget information; law enforcement; judicial activities;
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investigations; privacy; “secret information” of a person; life or physical safety of individuals; and others.15 Observations on published information and data reveal that agencies do remove personally identifiable information prior to publication.
Which agencies with established capabilities in data management (e.g. the NSO) could give leadership to a Importance: Evidence 2.4.7 wider program? Useful existing capabilities would Medium include:
BBS under the SID is already leading government data management initiatives in Bangladesh.
Other agencies like Bangladesh Bank, BANBEIS and a2i are specialized in data management in focused area. BANBEIS recently finished a Data Quality Assurance Framework (DQAF) project and will release its report on this and the National Indicators Framework (NIF) by the end of the April 2020. In addition, BANBEIS will soon release a report on Data Mapping. These might be useful for other agencies in their data management efforts.
15Exemptions: https://www.article19.org/resources/country-report-the-right-to-information-in-bangladesh/ (Retired on March 18, 2020)
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2.5 Demand for Open Data Importance Very High
54. Context: The value of data is in its use. A strong demand-side “pull” of data is important not only in creating and maintaining pressure on government to release data but also in ensuring that the wider Open Data Ecosystem develops, and that Open Data is turned into economically or socially valuable services for citizens. The “pull” can come from civil society, the private sector, international organizations, donors and individual citizens.
55. The rating of readiness for “Demand for Open Data” focuses on two core issues: (i) evidence of data demanded by civil society, the private sector, the research community and media; and (ii) existence of agency mechanisms in place to intake and respond to requests for data.
Assessment Importance
Very High
GREEN
56. Clear demand for open data in a wide-range of area, as well as call for constructing open data ecosystem is evident from the consultative workshops with private sector and CSOs of Bangladesh. Consultations with leading government data generating and publishing agencies also acknowledge the high demand for open data both in and outside the government, although quite often, government agencies only release aggregated information mostly in pdf format. The cooperation between the supply and demand sides, and responsiveness, need greater attention.
57. Both civil society and private sector stressed that lack of timely and disaggregated data plus non-disclosure of methodology, data taxonomy or metadata were major weaknesses in current reports published by government. Discussions with CSOs and private sector in consultative workshops, and the participants’ written feedback reveal that there is an enormous demand for open data for private sector and business associations and CSOs including NGOs, academia and media, research organization. Consultations with leading data generating and publishing government agencies also acknowledge the demand for open data both in and outside the government.
58. Most important types of data private sector require are export and import related data, general economic, micro economic and financial data, economic and social indicators data, utility price related data, revenue related data, local and international market related data, government project and policy related data, agriculture related data, classified trade and business, and regulatory data, quality information related data, and geographic information system (GIS) related data.
59. CSOs have expressed desire to access and use data in a wide range of areas. These include: customs, aid, government personnel, project data, health facilities, professionals and equipment, disease surveillance and resources allocated for it, education, gender, public finance, budget, developmental and public expenditure data, governance, corruption data, births and death,
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services macro-economic data (e.g., GDP, unemployment, and inflation), disaggregated SDG data down to local levels, labor market and employment data, , data on basic rights, and legal and policy related data.
Evidence
What is the level and nature of actual demand and Importance: Evidence 2.5.1 latent demand for data from Civil Society, High Development Partners and the media?
BBS noted that demand for statistical data is strong from researchers and universities.
Clear demand for real time data in a wide-range of areas, as well as call for constructing open data ecosystem is evident from the consultative workshop with civil society, development partners and the media. Many different stakeholders – including CSOs, development partners, and media – are eager to have a lot more remote sensing and geospatial data from GoB given how vital this type of data is for analysis of “on-the-ground” decisions by businesses, first responders, and citizens in the event of disasters, risk planning, and even daily operations.
What are the level and nature of actual demand and Importance: Evidence 2.5.2 latent demand for data from business/the private High sector?
Engagement with key industry associations made clear that they do have specific demands for more detailed data on markets, exports/imports, and more geospatial data to help them make business decisions and grow. This underlines the real potential of open data to drive economic growth. Other important types of data private sector require are general economic, micro economic and financial data, economic and social indicators data, utility price related data, revenue related data, local and international market related data, government project and policy related data, agriculture related data, classified trade and business, and regulatory data. CSOs in Bangladesh are selectively setting a good example by publicly releasing machine- readable data of their own (though without an open license). As an example, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh publishes as downloadable Excel files the factory inspection reports (for fire, structural, electrical safety) for every factory inspected – https://bangladeshaccord.org
How do public agencies listen to demands for data Importance: Evidence 2.5.3 and respond? Medium
Agencies are accustomed to receiving RTI requests for information from the public (and media, researchers, and businesses). Some of those requests are likely requests for data. At this point, it seems these requests are handled one by one – and do not yet lead to a responding agency satisfying requests with the release of open data. In many areas deemed crucial to the private sector and media, it is perceived that the government does not release data necessary for their work – data that is timely, complete, validated, and disaggregated enough to be useful for decision-making.
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Most often agencies release aggregated information mostly within reports in PDF format, and when they see demands for data, they may not fully appreciate the true value for opening reusable disaggregated data and the many productive things that can be done with it by the
private sector and others.
How do external stakeholders view public agencies’ Importance: Evidence 2.5.4 willingness to listen to demands for data and respond? Medium
External stakeholders seem to appreciate the channels for citizen-to-GoB engagement that exist in Bangladesh. They see the possibilities in getting engaged with government for awareness building and co-creation on open data. In reviewing how government approaches data and its release, civil society and the private sector stressed that lack of timely and disaggregated data plus non-disclosure of methodology / data taxonomy / metadata were major weaknesses in current government data. External stakeholders are not engaged early enough by government in consultative processes – including decisions about data. At the same time, the private sector and CSOs in Bangladesh may not yet be organized in a way that will make them most effective in lobbying for data releases.
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2.6 Civic Engagement and Capabilities for Open Data Importance: High
60. Context: Experience among leading governments has demonstrated that Open Data initiatives are more sustainable and high-impact when Open Data efforts use an “ecosystem” approach – meaning governments invest not only in supplying data but also address the policy/legal framework, institutional readiness, capacity building (for government and infomediaries), citizen engagement, innovation financing and technology infrastructure. Governments need to play a multi-dimensional role in an Open Data ecosystem and create new types of partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders.
61. The rating of readiness for Civic Engagement and Capabilities focuses on five core issues: (i) government record on citizen engagement using multiple channels (consultations, feedback mechanisms among others); (ii) the capacity of technical universities; (iii) potential infomediaries such as data journalists; (iv) existence of an ‘apps economy’; and (v) government promotion of reuse of its data.
Assessment Importance
High
YELLOW
62. GoB has multiple engagement channels with citizens, including the RTI request system for every agency as well as a Grievance Redress System with online and off-line uptake channels for the public to submit their feedback to government agencies.
63. Citizen engagement by GoB does extend to local levels. Every district has its own website that holds the potential to be an active channel for civic engagement. In addition to serving as interface for government-to-citizen engagement, many district level governments have made proactive disclosure efforts – though there is no uniformity yet in what they release. Two areas where civil society say improvements are needed in citizen engagements are: (i) improving the user experience (and public awareness) of government websites to make it easier for people to find and use them; and (ii) much earlier engagement with civil society by government in consultative processes.
Evidence
Which potential infomediaries (such as data journalists) can help translate Open Data into Importance: Evidence 2.6.1 meaningful information for the public? What actions High are needed to develop or enhance these parts of the Open Data Ecosystem?
Bangladesh has an active media sector that is eager to expand its data journalism based on access to more government data.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Media organizations participating in the “demand side” workshop identified a few key issues for government to address to increase the usefulness of data it releases: (i) more detailed, disaggregated data; (ii) greater government effort to address contradictions between data held by different agencies; and (iii) more consistent and frequent releases of information and data.
What activities has the government engaged in to promote reuse of government-held data (e.g., in Importance: Evidence 2.6.2 developing apps or organizing co-creation events)? High How could such promotion be developed or enhanced?
Though not open data, there is some track record for nationwide citizen engagement. For example, after the RTI Act was enacted the Information Commission has engaged CSOs, professional groups, and rural networks to encourage citizens to take advantage of the right to access information. The IC carried out public consultations in all districts to raise awareness among citizens and train Designated RTI Officers. It was not determined to what degree or how extensively the GoB promotes reuse of government-held data. Such activities might be relatively minimal to date – but promotion efforts could be ramped up significantly as part of an Open Data Action Plan. Potential data use promotion activities might include: ● Partnering with industry associations to survey private sector on most important government data to open and establish other regular government-to-business (G2B) feedback mechanisms ● Creating (and promoting) a public feedback mechanism that enables people to suggest data to release as open data – and also enables people to up-vote on the suggestions that others have made. This will enable the crowdsourcing of list of top desired open data to help guide agencies on what data to open. ● Raise awareness of open data through civic hacking events and outreach to entities promoting entrepreneurship
What is the extent of engagement with government Importance: Evidence 2.6.4 through social media and other digital channels? Medium
GoB agencies all have a standard Grievance Redress System available through their websites. It was not determined during the BODRA exercise what the citizen experience is using the GRS. Many government agencies have social media pages through which they interact with citizens. While understandably they face challenges, it is notable that every district has its own website that holds the potential to be an active channel for civic engagement. Many have made proactive disclosure efforts – but there is no uniformity yet in what they do. Civil society organizations stressed that government websites are not designed with user experience (UX) in mind - and overall civil society is not engaged early enough by government in consultative processes.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Importance: Evidence 2.6.5 To what extent is there an existing “apps economy”? High
The Apps Economy in Bangladesh is growing rapidly driven by an estimated 1000+ start-ups – though the startup ecosystem is not surprisingly concentrated around Dhaka and Chattogram. Ride-sharing and logistics, fintech, online food delivery, online service markets, and EdTech are among the fastest growing segments. Private financing for startups, though still relatively modest, is growing strong in Bangladesh. There is a growing early stage financing market in Bangladesh with angel networks like Bangladesh Angels and Bangladesh Venture Capital among others. Numerous Bangladeshi startups have raised multi-million-dollar rounds. A notable number of local incubators and accelerator programs exist both tech and non-tech startups, such as the GP Accelerator, Toru Institute of Inclusive Innovation and Startup Bangladesh.
To what extent is there an academic or research Importance: Evidence 2.6.6 community that trains people with technical skills or High has capabilities in data analysis?
Bangladesh has a large university system of public and private universities and colleges.
Among the hundreds of public and private universities, think tanks, and research institutes in Bangladesh. Some have excellent capabilities, for instance, the Institute of Statistical Research and Training (ISRT) in University of Dhaka, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (BRAC JPGSPH), and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) etc. Relatively few of these higher education entities have capabilities to train people, agencies, CSOs or private sector with data management and analytical skills. At universities and research institutes, there is growing body of faculty members interested and capable in research, data management and analysis. Also, the numbers of research- focused universities are increasing over time.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
2.7 Funding Open Data Programs Importance: Medium High
64. Context: Funding with respect to both the “supply side” and “demand side” of Open Data is important to ensure that the objectives of an Open Data Program are met. The rating of readiness for Funding Open Data focuses on three key issues: (i) existence of resources and personnel for an open data program; (ii) availability of government funding for necessary ICT infrastructure and training; and (iii) government’s track record for investing in innovation.
Assessment Importance
Medium High
YELLOW
65. While open data is not a high-cost effort, it does require some financing and most importantly an investment of time and attention – especially among agencies where high- value data sits. Part of what makes an Open Data Action Plan feasible is resource planning (and budget commitment) for awareness and training activities, co-creation events with “demand side” stakeholders, some amount of budget replacement where agencies sell data to support their own budgets, selected apps / services / API development, and ongoing development of the national data portal. Compared to other aspects of government budgets, this still represents a relatively small – but very high leverage – investment.
GoB has a track record of investing heavily in ICT, developing e-services, and targeted investment in the country’s startup ecosystem, even though financing for an open data program has not yet been committed. Examples include the Innovation Fund that a2i manages and the Ministry of ICT’s work with the Banglalink Incubator. As it drives toward Digital Bangladesh Vision 2021 and open data, GoB has the chance to greatly expand such efforts.
Evidence How could resources be identified to fund an initial Importance: Evidence 2.7.1 phase of an Open Data Program? Who would need to Very High take what action to do so?
Since GoB is not really running an open data program today, it will need to consider an initial investment and a core set of dedicated staff in execution of an Open Data Action Plan with the appropriate entity to provide centralized authority, coordination and management. There are significant investments being made in parallel into programs that can help propel the GoB’s open data efforts forward. Examples include: SDG efforts, the $300 million Leveraging ICT II Project to be managed by BCC, and the $100 million Strengthening Public Financial Management Project and Upgrading Bangladesh Aid Information Management System (AIMS) to be both managed by Finance Division. With a few exceptions like Bangladesh Bank and MoH, agencies have not allocated resources to open data. Multiple development partners have made initial investments with GoB in data and open data related initiatives – and seem interested to continue support in an implementation phase.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
What any resources exist or have any been identified Importance: Evidence 2.7.2 to fund development of initial apps and e-Services that High will use Open Data?
a2i is working on a new data portal focused on access to district-level, microdata that is anticipated to launch in April 2020 as an official .gov website. In partnership with BBS, this will begin as a pilot with 2 districts and then scale up. It is important for this to be integrated into data.gov.bd to avoid silo data sites. Another very relevant project to GoB’s open data efforts is the GIS project involving Ministry of Defense, Survey of Bangladesh, a2i and others that will produce a single GIS mapping of Bangladesh (its roads, infrastructure, topology, etc.) over the next 4-5 years. The exercise did not confirm whether or to what degree GoB has organized or joined in co- creation activities with developer communities (like hackathons and apps investments).
What funding is available to support the necessary Importance: Evidence 2.7.3 ICT infrastructure and ensure enough staff have the Medium skills needed to manage an Open Data Program? High Although information management systems are highly siloed among agencies right now, there continues to be investment in shared infrastructure to leverage for open data. National data centers managed by BCC are a good example. Most key agencies with high-value data have staff managing information management systems. At the same time, the depth of staff who are expert at data analytics and cleaning/ processing is less than what will be needed. There remains a lot of room for more intensive and sustained technical training within the civil service.
Importance: What funding mechanisms does the government have Evidence 2.7.4 Medium for innovation? High
The Innovation Lab within a2i manages an Innovation Fund intended to nurture start-ups for technological innovation. Using its online platform called Idea Bank, to date it has awarded over US$4 million in seed funding to almost 250 recipient startups, agencies, and organizations. The ICT Ministry working with Banglalink Incubator has facilitated development of innovative ventures since 2016. GoB investments in R&D and growing Bangladesh’s innovation ecosystem still need to scale up – as does its readiness to turn government into a “platform” that companies and others outside government can build new e-services upon.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
2.8 National Technology and Infrastructure Importance: High 66. Context: In very practical ways, the success of Open Data Programs is connected to the larger national technology infrastructure -- in terms of technology and communications services, and ICT skills among officials, infomediaries and the public. The rating of readiness for Technology and Skills Infrastructure focuses on five core issues: (i) overall ICT ecosystem and skills; (ii) access to high-speed Internet and mobile broadband; (iii) maturity of the government’s ICT infrastructure and use of technology, especially use of shared infrastructure and services; (iv) ICT literacy among the population; and (v) strength of the ICT industry, local developer community and overall digital literacy.
Assessment Importance
High
GREEN
67. The national technology infrastructure is one area where years of investment by government together with private sector and development partners has made a major difference in open data readiness. It is also the foundation for much of Bangladesh’s rapid growth in mobile, social media and e-services. Notable are: existence of a Government communications network connecting all Upazilas to high-speed Internet with Union Digital Centers in 4,500 union councils making public digital services more accessible; the rapid growth of consumer use of mobile financial services, social media, and online labor. Indeed, the massive growth of Bangladesh’s mobile market should be kept in mind as Bangladesh’s plans its open data (and overall government digital services) efforts. In addition, a growing startup ecosystem—with companies drawing notable venture investments—means there is a community of potential open data users that GoB should be engaging.
68. Some important challenges remain to support the continued acceleration of Bangladesh’s digital economy and transformation. Three areas that stand out are (i) enabling much broader use of cloud services; (ii) further modernizing of power transmission infrastructure; and (iii) deeper resourcing and skills in cybersecurity (a larger risk as the number of separate, siloed systems proliferates among agencies).
Evidence
What is the local ICT “ecosystem”? Which Importance: Evidence 2.8.1 technologies reach what proportion of citizens? High
An extensive Government communications network connects all Upazilas to high-speed Internet, enabling national level agencies and local governments to use a common ICT infrastructure, applications, and services. GoB first deployed its National Data Center in 2009 and upgraded it in 2015 to a Tier-3 facility. 90% of GoB public websites and 40,000 mail accounts are hosted on the NDC. A second Tier-4 data center and disaster recovery data center now exist.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Bangladesh has seen a large amount of telecommunication investments in recent years, especially foreign direct investments in its mobile-broadband infrastructure. This has helped greatly drive down the price of its handset-based mobile-broadband basket and had a notable impact on internet and mobile access.16 To enable the “last mile” of citizen access to digital public services, GoB built over 4,500 Union Digital Centers in 4,553 union councils. This has greatly reduced the time citizens spend on birth/death registrations, exam registrations, and other important services. In recent years, use of mobile financial services has increased greatly through services such as bKash – which has reduced the unbanked population in Bangladesh. Connectivity is an issue for parts of the country. Many places outside Dhaka and big cities do not yet have 3G or 4G. In Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet, it is possible for users to get up to 100 mbps speed; outside these cities existing transmission links greatly limit speeds. Another important constraint is interruptions in power supply. While installed generation 17 capacity has greatly increased, power interruptions remain a problem -- and one that negatively impacts the ICT sector in particular. The extensive investment in information management systems has at the moment a notable downside for government and citizens – data exists in many siloes making it hard or impossible for agencies to shared needed data (and a lack of interoperability among systems) and for citizens to easily find information that is released to the public. Though many government information management systems could be interoperable or at least accessible to each other (e.g., through use of APIs), most are not. Agencies have created APIs for their own internal use only, and most IMS systems are not accessible to other agencies. Examples include: IBAS++, IMED’s Project Management Information System, and MoH’s eighteen systems. This offers the chance for quick wins for improving data access within government and even as open data if public API endpoints are created.
What is the level and cost of internet access, both by Importance: Evidence 2.8.2 broadband and by mobile technologies? High
Bangladesh is a mobile first country with the 9th largest mobile market in the world in terms of the number of subscribers – with over 165 million mobile subscriptions, according to BTRC. While no official statistics exist, Bangladesh is estimated to have 31 million smartphone users (18.5% penetration) to date in 2020, ranking it 20th in the world in terms of most smartphone users.18 At end of January 2020, Bangladesh had 99 million Internet subscribers (about 57% penetration19), according to BTRC. Despite success in driving down prices as percentage of Gross National Income (GNI), Internet and mobile costs remain a challenge for certain segment of the population. In response in 2019, GoB cut Internet prices setting it at a maximum Tk 400 per megabits second or Mbps and minimum Tk 180 Mbps. It is not clear how much of this price cut reaches consumer pricing.
16 ITU, Measuring the Information Society Report 2018. 17 https://www.newagebd.net/article/101874/power-cuts-make-households-industries-suffer-in-bangladesh 18 https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world 19 ITU (2018) indicates a lower figure more in the 20% range, but this may be an estimate of penetration at home.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Another result of large ICT investment is that Bangladesh does have affordable fixed- broadband services with entry-level offers under US$5 per month.20 Average speeds for mobile internet connections (9.06 mbps) and fixed internet connections (18.7 mbps) as of early 2019 while below global averages represented notable increases year-
on-year.21 Current average speeds are likely higher.
Importance: How readily available is cloud compute and store Evidence 2.8.3 Medium infrastructure? High
BCC recently launched cloud services for government agencies. At the time of the BODRA exercise, four entities including RAJUK, Planning Ministry, and Department of Agriculture were using it. One major constraint on use of cloud by GoB is that no policies or rules exist to authorize or guide its use by government. At the moment, there are only 2 commercial cloud providers in Bangladesh but in the absence of any rules, they cannot sell cloud services to government. BCC did mention that such rules are being worked on. Bangladesh Bank has its own rule that prohibits commercial banks in Bangladesh from using cloud.
How strong are the IT industry, developer community, Importance: Evidence 2.8.4 and overall digital literacy? High
According to 2017 ITU ICT Development Index, Bangladesh ranked 147th (IDI includes a measure for overall digital literacy within it). Given Bangladesh’s growth in past 2 years, one might expect current ranking to be somewhat higher. Data literacy was explicitly cited as a top problem within government – suggesting that most officials “are administrators not data people.” Some agencies like CPTU and NRB have plans to develop analytics teams and a large $500 million skills development project for economic zones is planned. 73% enroll into secondary school; 21% for tertiary schooling. (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2018) Bangladesh had over 35 million Facebook users in Bangladesh as of October 2019, representing 21% of its population.22 This represents a very strong 13% growth rate.23 Nearly all of them are accessing social media via mobile phones. Bangladesh has become 2nd largest supplier of online labor with 500,000 active freelancers working regularly – representing 16% of total global online freelancers.24
20 ITU, Measuring the Information Society Report 2018. 21 https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital-2019-bangladesh-january-2019-v01 22 Data sourced directly from APIs of social media platforms and compiled here: https://napoleoncat.com/stats/facebook-users-in-bangladesh/2019/10 23 https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital-2019-bangladesh-january-2019-v01; https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/slow-internet-speed-blame-game-all-they-can-offer-1698073 24 Oxford Internet Institute, Online Labour Index.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Bangladesh startup ecosystem was a late starter compared to certain regional peers. It has seen notable growth in recent years though it ranks 116th out of 126 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2019.25 In 2018, Bangladeshi startups raised around US$27 million (compared to the US$4 billion 26 that Indian startups raised). In addition to obvious market size differences, Bangladeshi startups still lack the enabling environment they need which includes more robust mentorship and training, more favorable regulatory regime, as well as greater availability of risk financing especially in later stages of growth.
25 Global Innovation Index 2019, Cornell University, INSEAD, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 2019. 26 Indian Tech Startup Ecosystem: Leading Tech in the 20s, NASSCOM, 2019.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services 3. A Way Forward
3.1 Summary of the Assessment
69. The assessment summary table below highlights for each of the 8 ODRA dimensions, which elements (evidence) demonstrate open data readiness, and the presence or absence of elements that may be obstacles to establishing a sustainable Open Data Program.
Dimension Assessment Importance Remarks Prime Minister set the vision of Digital Bangladesh Vision by 2021, which led to important investments 1. Senior and policy progress. As next steps, SID needs to Very High Leadership Tending to circulate clear, authoritative guidelines on open data requirements and arrangements. Active open data champions on an operational level will be needed. Lots of high-value data exist in agency systems, some published in PDFs, but little is accessible in machine-readable formats. Not much high-value 2. Policy / Legal Very High data has been released yet and where data is Framework available it is often too aggregated to be useful. However, lots of quick wins are possible, especially by communicating a clearer policy framework. GoB has track record of using inter-agency mechanisms which open data requires. Strong 3. Institutions High tendency of agencies to make their own ICT decisions. Culture of caution remains among some agencies who hesitate to publish data. Lots of high-value data exist in agency systems, some published in PDFs, but little is accessible in 4. Government data Tending to High machine-readable formats. Not much high-value management data released yet -- but lots of quick wins possible.
Government agencies, private sector, and CSOs can clearly articulate their needs for ‘data’ in key areas - education, health, economic/market data, even 5. Demand for Data Very High though RTI process is under-utilized in response to requests for ‘information’. Some evidence of a startup ecosystem with data-enabled apps and digital services. There are online and manual channels for citizen-to- 6. Civic GoB engagement. Not clear how often co-organized High Engagement events occur to promote use of data or innovative apps. Unclear what GoB financing of open data will look 7. Open data Medium like, though there are major investments in IMS, funding High technical skill development by GoG and dev
partners. 8. Technology & Core infrastructure exists at BCC and agencies. High Infrastructure Upgrading skills is major priority.
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
70. The assessment’s ratings are not a scorecard or a comparison of Bangladesh against other countries. The ODRA is a diagnostic tool to establish how well positioned Bangladesh is to move forward on open data to help achieve its socio-economic potential.
3.2 Conclusions and Recommendations
71. The Open Definition sets out principles that define “openness” in relation to data and content. It makes precise the meaning of “open” in the terms “open data” and “open content” and thereby ensures quality and encourages compatibility between different pools of open material. It can be summed up that: “Open means anyone can freely access, use, modify, and share for any purpose (subject, at most, to requirements that preserve provenance and openness).”. Put most succinctly: “Open data and content can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose”.
72. The transformative potential of open data depends on data not only being available in greater volumes but in actual use of the data. Increasing not only the supply of open data, but also demand and usage will expand the open data effects beyond transparency and accountability into development impacts and economic outcomes. Improving the quality and use of open datasets for interventions in education and health service delivery in Bangladesh will address access challenges and improve targeted education and health services.
73. The assessment shows that success of open data initiatives directly depends on the presence of top-level political leadership and cross-government coordination. Two immediate actions that the GoB can take are: (i) identify a high-level political champion for open data who will help sustain its importance among national efforts; and (ii) formally identify a central government entity that has sufficient level of national authority to coordinate across government, ensure implementation of action plans, and push for needed policy changes. Since open data is a newer concept for governments, legal frameworks often require some revision to address data management, open licenses, privacy, formats, data sharing and publication, and other matters – as well as providing clear legal guidance for its release. This is true for Bangladesh also. One top priority should be to issue an official policy on Open Data using a legal instrument that will make it effective and authoritative for agencies. A second-high priority is, issuing a directive so agencies can use an open license for data they publish (such as widely used Creative Common licenses like CC0 and/or CC-BY).
74. As the data owners of most high value government-held data, the actions of individual agencies are key to open data success – both for internal sharing and public release. Ensuring agencies and different levels of government follow the same technical standards and processes requires coordination. For this, GoB will be well served by establishing an inter-agency Open Data Working Group to advise and coordinate on standards, share best practices, develop open data champions, oversee implementation, and help resolve situations for example where data is still sold.
75. In many ways, open data initiatives in Bangladesh will depend upon transparent, consistent, predictable data management by every agency. This will not only standardize how government handles data; it will also build public trust, improve the quality of data requests, and enable users (like the private sector, civic service providers, citizens) to plan their use of data for their businesses, operations, research, and services. Top priorities to strengthen data management for open data include every agency publishing an inventory of data it holds – showing the format
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services and the classification of each dataset from open, scheduled to be open, government use only, or official secrets if required. A second aspect of open data success is making it easy for people to find data without having to search multiple websites of multiple agencies. Bangladesh already has the mechanism for this – its data.gov.bd website. But it requires a refresh that provides more granular, disaggregated data that is more frequently updated.
76. Data types to be open can include: (i) time series - datasets and Indicators level data that is a sequence of numbers collected at regular intervals over a period; (ii) microdata - unit-level data obtained from sample surveys, censuses, and administrative systems; and (iii) geospatial - data that has explicit geographic positioning information included within it in either vector or raster format. Access options can include download or query tool. It is useful to disclose data characteristics such as: data type, periodicity, date posted, date last updated, and access option
77. SID can identify datasets within and outside government from authoritative external sources which a2i can curate and make them available with regular updates in the Open Data Portal. Such initiative will be critical to avoid information asymmetry (e.g. COVID-19 statistics) and ensure that government, private sector and citizens have access to relevant data for proper decision making and accountability. The integrity of the portal can be ensured if the underlying data is released according to open data standards and license such as the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY 4.0). The Open Database License allows users to copy, modify and distribute data, including for commercial purposes. Users are obligated to give appropriate credit (attribution), and to provide any redistributions of data under the same license and in open formats.
78. The formula for delivering open data benefits depends on both publishing high-value data (the supply side) and use of that data (the demand side). Section 4 below lists some high- value that could be prioritized for release. Demand for data from government exists in Bangladesh, and external stakeholders are interested to work with data-owning agencies. There is a large pool of potential data users outside of government for the GoB to engage – with awareness raising campaigns, co-creation events, training, soliciting and tracking data requests, and sector-specific meet-ups bringing agencies and external stakeholders together. Through such efforts, the GoB can be a powerful catalyst for innovations by the companies, entrepreneurs, CSOs and researchers.
79. In the area of public finance, open data will strengthen government accountability, service performance, and public trust. A Public Finance Portal (PFP) can be a treasure trove of invaluable PFM datasets and key performance indicators for service delivery. Applying big data analytics to data from the proposed PFP can help track service delivery. It can also lead to gains in efficiency and effectiveness of actions incorporated into Annual Performance Agreements linked to performance plans for service delivery27 and mapped to national targets in Bangladesh’s Five-Year Plans and the SDGs. The “Diagnostic Report on Catalyzing Open Data on Public Finance in Bangladesh”, World Bank (2013) summarizes areas of public finance that would benefit from additional disclosure and data that should be made more comprehensive.
27 PEFA PI 8.1 - Performance plans for service delivery
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Box 4: Public finance data that can be more comprehensive Additional public finance data for Public finance data that can be more disclosure comprehensive Pre-budget statement Government debt Archive of year-end fiscal report Extra budgetary funds Year-end financial report Public Corporation Finances Tax expenditures Inter-governmental transfers Subsidy expenditures Quasi-fiscal activities Financial assets Contingent liabilities Fiscal position of sub-national governments Non-debt liabilities
80. Proactively supplying key public finance data with service delivery indicators will empower citizens with information to make their participation in governance meaningful, giving them the ability to influence decisions on use of public funds. The proposed PFP can leverage on the ERD aid planning system (http://aims.erd.gov.bd/gis/#/). In doing so, strategic partnerships among non-state actors (NSAs) such non-governmental organizations (NGOs), chamber of commerce, private organizations, professional bodies, civil society organizations etc.) will be critical. In this regard, Integrated Service Delivery Reporting (ISDR) that includes financial and non-financial information will enhance public sector performance and accountability28. Finance Division can consult with key stakeholders to develop a template for the ISDR29 and establish systems and procedures for collecting and processing of information to demonstrate the resources received (in cash and kind) by front-line service delivery units (e.g. schools and basic health units) in relation to the overall resources made available irrespective of which level of government is responsible for the operation and funding of those units.
81. Disclosure of public procurement information in open data format - an online platform (Citizen Portal) has been developed to disclose data following Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS). Popularly known as “Open Contracting30”, this approach promotes collaborative and constructive engagement between governments, private sector, civil society, and development partners. The Citizen Portal is directly linked with the e-GP system and will result in improved disclosure of contracting data and information including planning, bidding, contract award, implementation of contract, performance and asset tracking. In order to facilitate access to, and use of, the disclosed information, the system will feature a public-facing web portal for disclosure of contracting data and information. The Citizen Portal was soft launched in January 2020 for testing and is expected to be opened for public access by June 2020.
82. The GoB has the benefit of sophisticated information management systems with a wealth of valuable data that could be shared and joined by agencies. Service delivery monitoring will be enhanced by overlaying budget and expenditure data linked to outputs for specific programs/activities/schemes to enhance accountability for results – and then releasing that combined data as an open dataset. This can be done by daily online transaction processing in iBAS++ by fund source/agreement and project geographic location to track spending at point of
28 http://www.ifac.org/publications-resources/recommended-practice-guideline-3 29 https://www.ifac.org/news-events/2015-03/ipsasb-publishes-recommended-practice-guideline-reporting-service- performance-in 30 https://www.open-contracting.org/
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Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services use and development outcomes over time. Since the AIMS only cover external financing, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning will benefit from using APIs or web services to pull data into its Project Management Information System (PMIS) to complement projects directly funded from the revenue budget. The upgrade of the PMIS to ePMIS with support from CPTU through the Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP) can be should enable geo-tagging of projects/schemes together with the ability to add pictures with comments on physical progress.
83. In the long-run, GoB can consider incorporating eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL31) features to ease the consolidation of reports from various sources and entities. This will address the data discrepancy issues. Also, Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) technology can be used to organize data from the various sources to support business intelligence for production of user-friendly Dashboards.
84. It is important for GoB to start releasing key “core common reference datasets” that are widely used across government (e.g., organization codes – such as for schools and health facilities, address register, company registry). For example, CPTU can use standardized codes for commonly procured items by creating an Item Master table in eGP based on the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC32). This will provide an efficient, accurate and flexible classification system for achieving government-wide visibility of spend analysis, as well as, enabling procurement to deliver on cost-effectiveness demands and allowing full exploitation of electronic commerce capabilities. Encompassing a five-level hierarchical classification ‘codeset’, UNSPSC enables expenditure analysis at grouping levels relevant to your needs by allowing drilling down or up to the ‘code-set’ to see more or less detail as is necessary for management analysis and decision making.
85. To be useful, data needs to be disaggregated to the lowest level possible. While digitizing data for public access, it is important for BBS to standardize and communicate procedures to anonymize micro data to protect citizen and enterprise privacy. For example, the private sector will be able to make more decisions about investments and growing their businesses if they have access to detailed, disaggregated import and export data – with Harmonized System Codes (HS Code33) publicly disclosed at the lowest level of the code (8-digit or 10-digit level). This will allow local and international investors and companies to better understand market opportunities, plan operations, and reach more customers by enabling more in-depth market analysis.
31 XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is a digital 'language' that was developed to provide a common, electronic format for business and financial reporting. In XBRL, mark-up tags are used to make business information computer-readable and consumable. 32 http://www.unspsc.org/ - , managed by GS1 US™ for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), is an open, global, multi-sector standard for efficient, accurate classification of products and services. 33 The HS Code was created and is administered by the Brussels-based World Customs Organization (WCO) - http://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/nomenclature/instrument-and-tools/hs_nomenclature_2012.aspx
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3.3 Proposed Action Plan
86. Based on the above assessment and conclusions, specific actions are proposed that will help the Government of Bangladesh to implement the Open Data Strategy issued in 2016. The action plan indicates what and who needs to take specific actions in the short, medium and long-term.
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4. Datasets Available
87. This section lists datasets identified during the desk research and assessment mission and that could easily be published quickly on the Open Data portal as open data available for public download.
Short Term Agency Owner
● Budget / public expenditure / revenue data – ● Finance Division; CGA, NBR disaggregated - https://mof.gov.bd/site/page/0f0724a1-73e5-47f5- b65f-a0c3f84381f7/Monthly-Fiscal-Report
- https://mof.gov.bd/site/page/bf32942f-9090-49b7- b4e3-7eb0e3f5c7b2
● Finance Division ● Data on pension payments, # of recipients,
and location ● BBS ● Statistical data (including micro-data) in
reusable format ● Finance Division ● Data on underutilized allocated resources
(unused budget) ● Office of Registrar, MoH, DPS, DSHE ● Company registry data, facility codes for health and schools ● Health, education, and deprivation index ● DSHE, BBS (poverty) data at union level. ● Data from annual school census and ● DSHE, BANBEIS, Finance Division BANBEIS data; budget and spending data at the school level ● Data in health bulletins PDFs already on ● MoH - DGHS MoH website ● Data already displayed on Bangladesh Health ● MoH - DGHS Observatory at https://dghs.gov.bd/index.php/en/data, its Health Facility Registry, and Supply Chain Management Dashboard ● MoH - DGHS ● Hospital bed and utilization data per hospital ● Data on land and water ● Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of ● Agriculture related data (crop production, Land soil, etc) ● Ministry of Agriculture ● All kinds of Geographic Information System (GIS) data (boundaries, infrastructure, ● Various ministries including new nationwide satellite images) mapping project of Department of Defense ● Export/import data (to 8-digit or 10-digit ● Customs level) from ASYCUDA system ● Data on capital flows ● Finance Division, Bangladesh Bank ● Foreign direct investment by sector and ● Finance Division, Bangladesh Investment geographic location Development Authority
Open Data for Economic and Social Development and Improving Public Services
Medium Term Agency Owner
● Not just procurement data but also ● Finance Division, ERD government project and policy related data ● Cadastral and other maps (e.g, country map ● Department of Land Records & Survey being supported by JICA and Ministry of under Ministry of Land Defense) ● Property registry, prices, taxes, and property ● Department of Land Records & Survey maps under Ministry of Land
● Data on price of medicines (from GoB or ● Ministry of Health private sector) ● Data on freezer monitoring, essential ● Ministry of Health medicine list, distribution of medical equipment and furniture (high priorities to better manage health supply chains) ● Data on use of training budgets/spending and ● Various agencies results ● Utility costs, prices, consumption, ● Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral production, etc. Resources ● Data on parking in Dhaka ● Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority ● Data on inspections and compliance (e.g. ● Various agencies, including Ministry of with health and safety regulations) Health ● Ensure government data is geo-tagged so it ● All agencies has geospatial data as part of it ● Release data on energy and environment: ● Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Pollution levels, energy production, Resources distribution and consumption
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Annex A: Examples of existing web portals
The following are a few examples of existing web portals that GoB agencies use to share information to the public:
Bangladesh Open Data - http://data.gov.bd/
SGD Tracker - http://www.sdg.gov.bd/page/aboutsdgtracker/3#1
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Aid Information Management System (AIMS) - http://aims.erd.gov.bd/gis/#/
Central Procurement Tender Unit (CPTU) eGP - https://www.eprocure.gov.bd
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Education Management Information System (EMIS) - http://emis.gov.bd/emis
Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) - http://data.banbeis.gov.bd/
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Health Management Information System (HMIS)
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Annex B: List of persons met
List of People Met No Name Designation Organization Mohammad Tajul Islam Director General Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Dhaka Mr. Mahfuzul Islam, Director Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Dhaka Engr. Chandra Shekhar Roy Senior Maintenance Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics engineer-IT and Project (BBS), Dhaka Director
Minhaj Uddin Ahammad Assistant Director (P&D) Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), Dhaka Ms. Mohosena Begum Assistant Director (MEW) Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), Dhaka Jagat Jyuti Basak Education Statistician Directorate of Secondary and (EMIS Cell) Higher Education (DSHE), Dhaka
Khandaker Azizur Rahman Senior System Analyst Directorate of Secondary and (EMIS Cell) Higher Education (DSHE), Dhaka A.K.M. Shamsul Haque Information Management Secondary Education Sector Specialist Investment Program (SESIP) – Program Management Consultancy (PMC), Dhaka Sheikh Md. Alamgir Statistics Specialist Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), Dhaka Md. Khan Jahan Ali Statistics Specialist Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS, Dhaka S.M. kamrul Hasan Khan Statistical Officer Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), Dhaka Md. Mezanur Rahman Programmer Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS, Dhaka
Iffad Mahmud Senior Operations Officer, The World Bank Country Office, HNP Dhaka T.M. Asaduzzaman Education Specialist The World Bank Country Office, Dhaka Md. Zahurul Islam CGA Office of Controller General of Accounts (OCGA), Dhaka
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Md. Anisur Rahman Add. CGA (Admin) Office of Controller General of Accounts (OCGA), Dhaka Mohammad Mominul Add. CGA Office of Controller General of Hoque Accounts (OCGA), Dhaka
Md. Mahbubul Hoque Deputy CAG (Accounts & Office of the Comptroller Reports) and Auditor General (OCAG), Dhaka Md. Nurul Islam Ad. Deputy CAG Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG), Dhaka Shahzahan Siraz Director (MIS) Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG), Dhaka Md. Jamal Uddin DD (MIS) Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG), Dhaka Md. Habibur Rahman Director, MIS & Director General of Health Services Line Director, HIS & e- (DGHS), Dhaka Health Md. Ashraful Islam Babu Deputy Chief, MIS Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Dhaka Mohammad Abdul Hannan DHISZ Team Leader, Director General of Health Services Khan HISP-Bangladesh, MIS (DGHS), Dhaka
Hasan Alif Assistant Chief, MIS Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Dhaka Sukhendu Shekhr Roy System Analyst, MIS Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Dhaka Dr. Ramiz Uddin Head of Results a2i – innovation for all, Management and Data Dhaka Rifat –E-Jahan siddiquee Young Professional a2i – innovation for all, Dhaka Tilo Chakma ICT 4SDG Consultant a2i – innovation for all, Dhaka Md. Habibur Rahman Additional Secretary Finance Division, Ministry of Finance, Dhaka S.M. Moin Uddin Ahmed Program Executive & Finance Division, Ministry of Coordinator Finance, Dhaka Strengthening Public Financial Management Program to Enable Service Delivery Mohammad Saiful Islam Joint Secretary Finance Division, Ministry of PEC, SPFMS Program Finance, Dhaka Abul Bashar Md. Amir DPD, PEMS Program Finance Division, Ministry of Uddin Finance, Dhaka
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Tarique M Barkatullah Director, BCC and Digital Bangladesh Computer Council Security Agency (BCC), Dhaka Mohammad Farhad Hussain Senior Technical Bangladesh Computer Council Specialist (Infrastructure) (BCC), Dhaka Tanimul Bari Senior Technical Bangladesh Computer Council Specialist (Software & (BCC), Dhaka Service) Hasan U Jaman Architect (Enterprise & Bangladesh Computer Council Data) (BCC)¸ Dhaka Mobara Khanum Director General National Board of Revenue (NBR), (Research & Statistics) Bangladesh, Dhaka
Md. Monir Hossain Research Officer National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh, Dhaka Dr. Urme Binte Salam Deputy Secretary Cabinet Division, Dhaka
Md. Fashiullah Director General Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), Dhaka Khalid Ahmed Joint secretary Directorate of Primary Education Director (Monitoring & (DPE), Dhaka Evaluation) Anuj kumar Roy Senior System Anayst Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), Dhaka Ismail Hussain Statistical Officer Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), Dhaka Farid Aziz Joint Secretary Economic Relations Division Development Effectiveness (ERD), Dhaka Wing Mohammad Navid Safiullah Joint Secretary Economic Relations Division (ERD), Dhaka Mostak Ahmed Deputy Secretary Economic Relations Division (ERD), Dhaka Md. Sabbir Biswas Senior Programmer Economic Relations Division (ERD), Dhaka Dr. Asma Akter Jahan Joint Secretary Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka SM Hamidul Haque DG Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Matiar Rahman Director and Joint Implementation, Monitoring & Secretary Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Md. Shahadat Hossain Director Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Khandaker Mohammad Ali Director Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka
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Md. Rafiqul Islam Director Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Kazi Delwar Hossain Director Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Md. Habibul Islam Coordination Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Md. Ariful Islam Analyst Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Saiful Islam Deputy Director Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Mohammad Myazza Programmer Implementation, Monitoring & Hossain Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Masiur Rahman Deputy Director Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division (IMED), Dhaka Kazi Md. Nasir Uddin GM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Tarun Kanti Ghosh GM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Sabita Yasmin GM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Md. Mohib Ullah Mia GM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Md. Kohinur Hossain GM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Mrinal Kanti Sarker GM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Shabnam Shirin DGM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Md. Nurul Islam DGM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Mohammad Nurul Islam DGM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka Dr. Shamim Ara DGM Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka
Private Sector and CSO Consultative Workshop on March 1st, 2020 at WB Office # NAME DEISGNATION ORGANIZATION 1. Dandan Chen Operations Manager World Bank 2. Mohamed Yusuf Governance Adviser DFID 3. Mr. Quazi Nazmul Hossain GM IT CPACO, Apex 4. Mr. Mamunur Rahman Additional Secretary FBCCI 5. Md Rafiqul Hassan Director Research & Policy of TIB TIB 6. M.M. Musa The Daily Bonik Barta 7. Mr. Md. Rashedul Islam Senior Executive (Content & BASIS Research) 8. Sannaul Haq Dolon, Manger Programme MRDI 9. Syed Ferhaf Anwar Director IBA, DU 10. Mr Shahzada Sayeed Director – Meal, Program Save the Children in Development and Quality Bangladesh
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11. Md. Jahurul Islam Programme Associate, Research Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) 12. Dr. Feroz Faruque FSSP Global Affairs Canada, Dhaka 13. Rezwan-ul-Alam Director, (Knowledge Manusher Jonno Foundation Management) 14. Mr. Muntasir Mamun Iqbal Director and Senior Lecturer Institutional Ranking Cell (IRC) and North South University - Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics (SBE) 15. Mohammad Jahidul Islam S. Correspondent The Business Standard 16. Sanat Das Gupta Deputy Secretary, Research & BKMEA Dhaka Office Development(R&D) 17. Moksud Belal Siddiqui Senior Economist Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) 18. Hillol Sobhan Head of Communications CARE BANGLADESH 19. Berhanu Moreda Deputy Country Director CARE BANGLADESH 20. Sohel Parvez The Daily Star 21. Md. Jalal Uddin Senior Research Manager Leather goods and Footwear . Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB) 22. Shah Husain Imam Editor & CEO The Financial Express 23. Mohammad Monower Hossain Sr. Deputy Secretary (Research BGMEA and Sustainability) 24. Zeeshan Abedin Country Economist International Growth Centre (IGC), BRAC Institute of Governance & Development 25. Afroza Alam Consultant World Bank 26. Nazmus Sadat Khan Economist World Bank 27. Furqan Ahmed Saleem Lead Public Sector Specialist World Bank 28. Sharina Islam Team Assistant World Bank 29. Mohammad Reaz Uddin Senior Governance Specialist World Bank Chowdhury 30. Mohammed Atikuzzaman Senior Governance Specialist World Bank 31. Hasib Ehsan Chowdhury Governance Specialist World Bank
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