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PM's Advisor Rehan Asif Asad
The government is actively designing a nationwide rollout to provide every Bangladeshi citizen with a unified Digital ID and a personal Digital Wallet, anchored around five foundational pillars: simplicity, privacy, security, inclusivity, and interoperability, Prime Minister’s Advisor Rehan Asif Asad announced on Sunday.
Speaking at a panel session titled "The Grand Conversation: When Models Decide, Who Decides? AI in the Machinery of State" on the second day of the Bay of Bengal Conversation held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, Asad outlined the architectural vision behind Bangladesh's modern digital transformation. The three-day international summit was hosted by the Center for Governance Studies (CGS).
Asad explained that the administration does not merely aim to deploy isolated tech solutions, but rather to construct a citizen-centric digital ecosystem designed to streamline everyday life and deliver public services faster and securely while ensuring no citizen is left behind.
Addressing concerns surrounding AI and emerging technologies—including insights shared during the conference by Nicola Nixon—Asad stressed that technological adoption will remain strictly bound to core principles of user privacy and state-grade data security. Explaining the mechanism of cross-agency interoperability, he noted that citizens will no longer have to navigate disparate ministries or bureaucratic silos; essential public utilities and records, such as verified educational certificates, will be seamlessly accessible through a unified digital interface.
To cultivate public confidence and preempt systemic errors, the advisor revealed that a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) will be piloted on a limited scale before an expansive nationwide launch. This staged sandbox testing will allow regulators and engineers to identify flaws early and prevent large-scale vulnerabilities.
Asad emphasized that Digital ID will serve as the cornerstone of the National Digital Strategy, functioning alongside open data exchanges and sovereign cloud infrastructure as critical Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to catalyze innovation across both public and private sectors.
The dialogue also featured Nicola Nixon, Executive Director of InsightWorks at The Asia Foundation; Susan Vize, UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh; Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Secretary to Sri Lanka's Ministry of Digital Economy; and Dr. S. M. Ziauddin Haider, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Affairs. The session was moderated by Kazi Faisal Bin Seraj, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation Bangladesh.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/bangladesh/1f1c0123-152f-62a0-bf6b-b73a1d5626b1