Written by The Banking Post
The interim government is preparing to extend the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) project by another year, with the ICT Division proposing a steep 24 per cent cost hike to keep the flagship digital governance programme running.
The proposal, sent to the Planning Commission, seeks to raise the project’s cost by Tk 20.5 billion, taking the total to Tk 10.60 billion—more than double the initial estimate of Tk 4.85 billion when it was approved in 2020.
Cost Surge Raises Questions
Officials at a recent Special Project Evaluation Committee (SPEC) meeting flagged the unusually sharp increases in some expenditure heads. Most striking is the allocation for computers and accessories, revised to Tk 852.95 million from just Tk 25 million originally—a 34-fold jump.
Spending for software development has also been raised by Tk 564 million to Tk 1.9 billion, while new allocations include Tk 50 million for subscription fees and higher spending under hospitality and honorarium. At the same time, budgets for 13 heads—including vehicle maintenance, furniture, and cleaning—have been cut by Tk 487 million.
As of June, the project had used Tk 6.25 billion, or 73 per cent of its allocation, with physical progress reported at 78 per cent.
Extension to Bridge Transition
The a2i project, launched in 2020 as the successor to the Access to Information programme, underpins Bangladesh’s digital platforms such as e-Nothi, the National Portal, Muktopaath, MyGov, and EkPay.
The ICT Division says the extension is essential to maintain these services until the newly formed Agency to Innovate becomes fully functional in 2026. Under the Agency to Innovate Act 2023, all a2i activities will eventually be transferred to the new body.
Project officials argue that the additional funds are needed to safeguard digital services, upgrade data security, and back ICT-driven reforms under the “New Bangladesh” agenda.
