The Independent Taskforce on Strengthening BBS, chaired by Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman, PPRC, has officially submitted its landmark report to the Honorable Advisor, Ministry of Planning, on 15 September 2025.

The report envisions the transformation of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) into Statistics Bangladesh (StatBD)—a modern, autonomous, and globally trusted National Statistical Organization capable of meeting the country’s growing demand for credible, independent, and transparent data.

Key Recommendations

The Taskforce laid out a series of reform proposals designed to strengthen BBS’s institutional capacity, independence, and global credibility:

• Establishment of the Trust and Transparency Council of Statistics (TTCS) to provide oversight and accountability.
• Securing legal autonomy for data release, ensuring freedom from external interference.
• Expanding BBS’s structural wings to modernize its organizational design.
• Strengthening Upazila-level presence to enhance local-level data capacity.
• Ensuring financial independence for sustained institutional operations.
• Introducing an open data policy to increase accessibility and transparency.
• Annual stakeholder dialogues to foster participatory approaches and trust in official statistics.

These reforms aim not only to enhance the credibility and independence of national statistics but also to ensure that statistical outputs are more accessible, transparent, and inclusive for all stakeholders—government, academia, private sector, civil society, and the public at large.

Members of the Taskforce

The Taskforce brought together senior experts and practitioners in statistics, economics, and development:

• Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman, PPRC
• Mr. Mohammad Abdul Wazed, former Director General, BBS
• Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, CPD
• Dr. Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID
• Dr. Syed Shahadat Hossain, Professor, ISRT, University of Dhaka
• Dr. Mohammad Mainul Islam, Professor, Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka
• Dr. Atonu Rabbani, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka
• Dr. Mohammad Yunus, Research Director, BIDS

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