Bangladesh's ICT Division, working alongside the e-Governance Academy, unveiled the National Responsible Data Exchange (NRDEX) during a seminar in Dhaka on 1 September. The platform is intended to facilitate encrypted data sharing among government bodies and forms part of the country's broader digital government strategy.

NRDEX draws its architecture from Estonia's X-Road, the data exchange infrastructure that has underpinned Estonia's digital state since 2001. The ICT Division created the platform in collaboration with eGA, with funding from the European Union's Global Gateway initiative through the "E-ffective Governance: Accelerating e-government and digital public services in Bangladesh" project.

At the seminar, Mr. Faqir Mahbub Anam, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Minister of Science and Technology, outlined the government's vision for digital transformation. He stated: "Our ambition is to build a digital government that is secure, interoperable, and capable of delivering services around the needs of citizens. NRDEX is an important building block in this journey, enabling government institutions to work as one connected ecosystem and turn our One-ID vision into reality. We are committed to ensuring that Bangladesh's digital transformation is inclusive, trusted and driven by innovation, while protecting citizens' rights and the responsible use of data."

The platform is designed to streamline government operations by reducing manual data handling, lowering administrative expenses and accelerating service delivery to citizens. Md. Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division, emphasised the practical benefits: "By making better use of data already held by government institutions, NRDEX can contribute to improving public service delivery, reducing administrative costs and helping prevent fraudulent activities. Citizens and government institutions can save time and resources by avoiding repeated requests for the same information and enabling faster access to government services. I encourage all government agencies to join NRDEX and contribute to turning Bangladesh's digital transformation priorities into practice."

Digital transformation priorities

The seminar brought together public sector leaders to discuss Bangladesh's digital transformation roadmap. Rehan Asif Asad, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology, presented the government's strategic priorities across five domains:

  • Improving the legal and policy environment for digital transformation
  • Strengthening connectivity and public digital infrastructure
  • Adopting AI, cybersecurity and cloud technologies in governance
  • Developing the country's electronics manufacturing sector

NRDEX sits at the centre of this agenda, particularly supporting the government's identity management and One-ID approach. Specialists from eGA shared their experience implementing interoperable data systems in Estonia and other jurisdictions, providing practical guidance for Bangladesh's rollout.