Bangladesh officials explore Estonia’s identity management and interoperability to advance the national one-ID

How to implement one trusted identity and interoperability to make public services simpler and more secure? This was one of the key questions a delegation from Bangladesh explored during the study visit to Estonia on 10–13 August 2026.

The visit focused on identity management and the One-ID principle in digital government, as Bangladesh continues to develop the foundations for more connected and citizen-focused digital public services. The participants from the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Bangladesh Election Commission Secretariat, and Local Government Division explored Estonia’s practical experience and discussed which lessons could be adapted to Bangladesh’s context.

“Learning from digital frontrunners is valuable for Bangladesh as we modernise public administration and aim to deliver better services for citizens. Combining a trusted national single identity with secure data exchange and interoperability can be a major step towards making public services more accessible, efficient, and secure,” said Mr Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Secretary of the ICT Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.

The programme covered the full lifecycle of identity management – from birth and death registration and unique identification to electronic identity, data governance, interoperability, and data protection. The discussions also addressed how high-quality data and clear data ownership support reliable identification and better decision-making.

Participants met experts from the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, Statistics Estonia and the Data Protection Inspectorate, as well as eGA experts who support the ICT Division in implementing the secure data exchange – National Responsible Data Exchange  – NRDEX – and enhancing interoperability within the EU-supported project.

The study visit was organised by the e-Governance Academy (eGA) in collaboration with the Bangladesh Cabinet Division and ICT Division as part of the European Union’s Global Gateway-supported “E-ffective e-Governance” project. The project supports the Government of the Republic of Bangladesh in modernising public administration by integrating digital processes, strengthening institutional capacity, and improving the quality and accessibility of public services.