Transformation to Digital Nation

ISLAMABAD:

Soon after the launch of Telecom Policy 2015, I wrote an article in this newspaper titled "Roadmap to Realise Pakistan's Digital Potential", where I advocated that a high-level body was needed to oversee the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT).

I referenced similar high-level bodies in countries like Japan, South Korea, India, and even the United States (where vice president Al Gore had earlier provided a visionary leadership for the benefit of high-speed computing and communication).

Unfortunately, the IT ministry, not just in Pakistan, is treated as too "junior" by the larger and older ministries and departments. For instance, in Pakistan, the issue of the Right of Way remains unresolved, despite the IT ministry's best efforts. And it took nearly 18 years to get the e-office system implemented across all ministries in Islamabad.

Therefore, to foster collaboration among various state entities for a greater purpose, a high-level steering body is a prerequisite.

I also expressed my frustration on another matter – the chronic lack of coordination among provinces (and between the centre and provinces) in matters related to the devolved IT sector. Often efforts are duplicated and solutions are reinvented rather than adopting successful practices from one another.

The Digital Nation Pakistan 2024 Bill introduced in parliament last week appears to address the above concerns through the establishment of a high-level "National Digital Commission" (NDC), headed by the prime minister and including the four chief ministers. The NDC is to offer strategic guidelines and help align policies and efforts between the centre and provinces.

To support the NDC, the bill proposes "Pakistan Digital Authority" (PDA). This authority is to serve as the implementation arm of the NDC and act as its interface with both the government and the private sector.

In consultation with stakeholders, the PDA is also to prepare a National Digital Masterplan, which is expected to include sector-specific plans, digital transformation roadmaps for key sectors, a comprehensive list of projects, execution frameworks, and a digital economy development plan.

One of the main challenges for the PDA will be data governance and management across both public and private sectors. The PDA will have to ensure that data custodians retain control over their respective datasets while creating secure frameworks for data exchange with other stakeholders.

To provide strategic oversight for the PDA, the bill proposes a "Strategic Oversight Committee" (SOC). The SOC is supposed to independently review the PDA's performance in relation to the master plan and the NDC's directives. It is then to provide recommendations to the NDC, importantly, "without interfering with the autonomy of the Authority."

Benefits

The countless advantages of digitalisation are well-documented. Countries like Estonia, Denmark, the UAE, Singapore, South Korea, and India have demonstrated how digital technologies enable nations to leapfrog. The digital government allows individuals with unique digital IDs to access government services without visiting government offices, often through a few clicks on a smartphone.

For example, the bureaucracy involved in obtaining permission to start a new business can be cut down drastically. Rather than filling out numerous forms and attaching copies of countless documents, digitalisation enables individuals to handle it without any interaction with government officials.

All the required data is already available with the government – personal data is maintained by NADRA, tax data by the FBR, financial data by banks, educational data by the HEC, business data by the SECP, travel data by the immigration department, and so on. Digitalisation facilitates automatic data retrieval, simplifying the permission process or providing reasons if a request is denied.

Beyond minimising human interaction between citizens and authorities, the most significant benefit of digitalisation is enhancing the documentation of the economy. The bill appears to aim towards these goals. This could be a game changer.

Concerns

There are several concerns of the stakeholders who have reviewed the draft bill. Given that no public consultations were conducted (although some top experts in both the public and private sectors contributed), these concerns need to be discussed, debated, and addressed as thoroughly as possible.

The primary concern involves surveillance, particularly in light of recent experiences where the internet, which supports all digitalisation efforts, has been frequently tampered with. Complaints about internet slowdowns and shutdowns are common, and apprehensions regarding the invasion of citizens' online privacy (true or not) are often raised.

Ideally, data protection legislation should have been established by now. However, even after such legislation is enacted, there are fears that digitalisation may be misused by the state to invade privacy, whenever deemed necessary. Yet another fear is that of potential conflicts or duplication with data protection laws, when enacted.

Two additional concerns focus on the Strategic Oversight Committee (SOC). (a) Out of the nine SOC members, only four are drawn from the private sector, a ratio deemed insufficient to make a meaningful impact.

From my own experience as the CEO of USF, where 50% of the board members came from the private sector, it is evident that decisions often reflect the preferences of government representatives.

(b) All private sector SOC members are to be nominated by the prime minister. It is unclear why the prime minister should have this authority.

Apart from the SOC, there appears to be no accountability mechanism for the PDA, despite its sweeping powers. Therefore, the private sector should have a more significant role in the SOC, allowing sub-sectors (such as telecom, IT, manufacturing, etc) to nominate their own representatives, similar to the USF.

Long-term endeavour

The draft Digital Nation Pakistan 2024 Bill is a crucial and timely piece of legislation. However, significant challenges remain, including digitising all government agencies and building a robust, nationwide digital infrastructure. All this takes time.

Digital transformation is a long-term endeavour, therefore, such fundamental legislation must be able to withstand any government changes. That is why it is important to steer it carefully – very carefully.

The writer is the former CEO of the Universal Service Fund and is providing telecom (policy and regulation) consultancy services in several countries in Africa and Asia