Bangladesh – Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh

Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh

Chief e-Governance, a2i, Government of Bangladesh.

Leading e-Governance strategist with a proven track record.
Recognized designer and implementer of e-Services and e-Government applications.
Prominent Digital Transformation specialist within the Government of Bangladesh.
Dedicated advocate for driving change in Digital Bangladesh and advancing Smart Bangladesh.
25+ years of impactful contributions to ICT for Development.

December 12, 2010: The first e-service of Digital Bangladesh, e-purji, was launched under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and conceived by Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh.

November 14, 2011: Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon jointly inaugurated the e-Service Center and National e-Service System (NESS) for all DC offices.

December 20, 2012: Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first digital district, named 'Digital Jessore'.

November 25, 2019: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh delivered the proposal document outlining the Integrated University Information Management System to His Excellency President Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid (President of Bangladesh at that time).

January 22, 2020: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh presenting the concept and implementation plan on Integrated University Information Management System to His excellency President Md. Abdul Hamid (President of Bangladesh at that time) in the closing ceremony of Digital Service Design Lab (DSDL) for UGC (involving 151 universities).

January 09, 2023: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh in a meeting on Bangabhaban Archives and Media Information Management System with His Excellency Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid (President of Bangladesh at that time) and Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, Hon'ble State Minister, ICT Division.

October 20, 2019: Hon'ble Adviser to HPM of ICT Affairs Mr. Sajeeb Wazed inaugurated a2i's ekSheba, ekPay, and ekShop.

June 14, 2019: Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, Hon'ble State Minister, ICT Division and Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh handed over the design and planning document on Parliament Automation to Hon'ble Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.

November 21, 2018: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh along with Hon'ble Minister of Fiji in the inauguration ceremony of Start-to-Finish (S2F) Tracker implementation for Fiji.

March 13-17, 2023: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh delivered speech at the "Technology for Democracy" seminar during the WSIS Forum 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.

October 9, 2018: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh with Mr. Mustafa Jabbar Hon'ble Minister, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology during the closing ceremony of Digital Service Roadmap Plan – 2021.

August 26, 2023: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh along with Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, Hon'ble State Minister, ICT Division met with His Excellency President of Bangladesh Mr. Md. Sahabuddin and his family members.

October 19, 2023: Mr. A. H. M. Khairuzzaman Liton, Hon'ble Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation handed over a memento to Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh honoring his contribution as the Chief Coordinator of "Smart Rajshahi City" planning.

September 28-30, 2023: Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh contributed as the Strategic Planner and Chief Coordinator for “Road to Smart Bangladesh”.

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About Dr. FZS

Dr. Forhad Zahid Shaikh, the “Chief, e-Governance Specialist” at a2i of ICT Division of Bangladesh Government, is an eminent professional with an illustrious career spanning over 25 years in the ICT sector who has made a tremendous contribution in shaping Digital Bangladesh.

Driven by dynamic leadership, he innovated nationally acclaimed e-government applications, contributing significantly to the country’s digital transformation. His strategic design and planning were instrumental in implementing an integrated service delivery System for 35 ministries. With a Ph.D. focused on “Integrated Digital Public Service Delivery Framework,” Dr. Forhad seamlessly integrates academic prowess with practical applications.

Dr. Forhad, a distinguished ICT leader, has been the driving force behind nationally acclaimed e-government applications and service digitalization contributed substantially to the establishment of Digital Bangladesh and showcasing visionary leadership and proficiency in strategic planning and synergistic approaches towards achieving the Smart Bangladesh vision.

Major Contribution

Smart Bangladesh Planning

174 Smart initiatives and 53 Quick Win Smart Initiatives have been ideated for 56 ministries and divisions, with the collaborative input of government officials and experts from industry, academia, and government.

Contributed as Coordinator and Member of Smart Bangladesh Planning Program Implementation Team on behalf of a2i, ICT Division as per the instruction of PMO and Cabinet division

Smart Rajshahi City Transformation Plan

Development of a Comprehensive and Holistic Plan for Rajshahi City involving 139 specialists and experts from Academia, Industry, and Government.174 Smart City Initiatives comprising 20 projects have been designed through this planning

Contributed as the Chief Planning Coordinator of the Strategic Plan Development

(I-ExamIn System) for BPSC

I-ExamIn System project has been designed to simplify processes of 20 Services for Cadre, Non-Cadre, Departmental and Senior Scale Exams conducted by Bangladesh Public Service Commission

Contributed as Chief Planning Coordinator

Digital Service Design Lab

Comprehensive Design and Planning for 33 Ministries and 208 Organizations.

1932 Digital Services
558 Software
৳2000M+ Procurement Value
103 Initiatives/Projects

Innovator, Concept Developer and Chief Program Coordinator

Digital Service Roadmap-2021 Plan

To achieve the “Digital Bangladesh 2021” vision, around 2800 digital services/systems have been identified for 56 ministries, 394 government organizations involving 1792 civil servants.

Contributed as the Strategic Planning Coordination Lead

64 District Uniformed Govt. Portal

First framework based aggregated Government portal concept, involving 128 magistrates and 64 DCs, was inaugurated by the HPM on January 6th, 2010. National Portal Framework (NPF) was evolved based on this concept and methodology.

Contributed as Concept Developer, Head of Design, development and implementation

National e-Service System (NESS)

First National Service Delivery Architecture which was implemented in 17 Ministries ,274 Govt. offices including as First Digital District JESSORE offices. myGov National Platform was then designed and developed as robust scaled up version in Govt.

Contributed as Concept Developer and lead of overall design, development and technical implementation

DC Office e-Service Center – DESC

First Govt. e-File system which was implemented in 61 districts with participation of 61 DC and ADC ICT. Later on, Nothi was designed and developed

Contributed as the lead in overall design, development and technical implementation.

ekPay

1st Online Payment Platform in Bangladesh

Contributed to Conceptualization, Planning, Designing and Development

e-Purjee

1st e-Service of Digital Bangladesh

Contributed as Concept Developer, and lead for Design, Development and Implementation

e-Porcha

1st Digital Land Record Management System
Scaled up as: e-Khatian

Contributed as Lead for Design, Development and Technical Implementation

COVID-19 Telehealth Center

Provided 15,61,068 Telehealth services to 7,04,890 patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh [June 2020 – Nov 2021]

Contributed as the Chief Coordinator for design, implementation and management of telehealth operation

Probash Bondhu Call Center

3,196 Telehealth services to Expatriate Bangladeshis of KSA and Bahrain during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Contributed as the Chief Coordinator for Telehealth Operation and Collaboration among MoEWOE, DGHS and Health Services Division