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The Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA), a flagship initiative of the Digital Strategy, identifies opportunities and risks in a country’s digital ecosystem to help the development, design, and implementation of USAID’s strategies, projects, and activities. It informs USAID Missions and other key decision-makers about how to better understand, work with, and support a country’s digital ecosystem.
The Bangladesh Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA) report presents the findings and recommendations of the Bangladesh DECA. It outlines the key aspects of Bangladesh’s digital ecosystem and provides 10 recommendations for creating a more inclusive, safe, and enabling environment. Guided by three USAID/Bangladesh priorities, which include i ) improved democratic systems that promote transparency, accountability, and integrity; ii) enhanced opportunities for an inclusive, healthy, educated society, and a robust economy; and iii) strengthened resilience to shocks and stressors, the DECA process included desk research, consultations with USAID/Bangladesh technical offices, and 81 key informant interviews with stakeholders from civil society, academia, and the private and public sectors.
Key findings include:
- Bangladesh’s digital ecosystem has steadily evolved over the last decade.
- The Government of Bangladesh (GoB)’s Vision 2021 and Vision 2041 underscore the importance of Digital Bangladesh and have been drivers for digital transformation across the country. However, undefined roadmaps and uneven knowledge of digitalization among government officials undermine GoB’s efforts.
- Limited digital literacy is a key barrier across all aspects of the ecosystem.
- Connectivity is affected by poor quality of services and lack of affordable data.
- A growing ecosystem of locally relevant content is key to closing the usage gap; barriers in terms of funding and understanding user needs remain.
- Bangladesh ranks Number One in South Asia on the e-government academy’s National Cybersecurity Index (NCSI) in terms of the availability of necessary laws and policy, but there is significant room for improvement when it comes to the strength of implementation across the ecosystem.
- Misinformation and disinformation are widespread in the digital sphere.
- Mobile financial services are expansive in Bangladesh and increasingly inclusive.
- E-commerce and the tech startup environment have grown quickly due to an increase in international and domestic investments and an active private sector.
- An expansive digital talent pool exists, but they are not trained to their fullest potential, hindering their income potential and Bangladesh’s growth trajectory.
USAID’s Digital Strategy charts an Agency-wide approach to development in a rapidly evolving digital age. Building on decades of USAID leadership in digital development, the Strategy outlines USAID’s deliberate and holistic commitment to improve development and humanitarian assistance outcomes through the use of digital technology and to strengthen open, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystems.