Identification of Critical Infrastructure Sectors and Their Interdependencies in Bangladesh: A Step Towards Resilience Planning

Abstract Bangladesh aims to become a high-income country by 2041, requiring investment in critical infrastructure sectors. Disruptions in one sector can affect others, so prioritizing actions for key sectors is essential when resources are limited. Since no country has endless resources, the current strategy is to focus on developing infrastructure in order of importance. This means that the most critical infrastructure is given priority when allocating resources. The aim of this study was to identify the critical infrastructure sectors and their interdependencies in Bangladesh. While the science of critical infrastructure protection and resilience is well-developed in high-income and developed economies, this research sheds light on identifying critical infrastructure in developing nations like Bangladesh. To identify the critical infrastructure sectors, a comprehensive literature survey was conducted, which was verified and validated by country experts. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers were consulted through key informant interviews (KII). Interpretive structural modeling (ISM) was applied to determine the interdependencies among identified sectors. Furthermore, cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis was applied to categorize the identified sectors based on driving power and dependence of sectors. The study found that 14 sectors—energy, information and communication technology (ICT), media and culture, law enforcement, transportation, among others—need extra protection measures. It also identified infrastructures with driving power and dependencies in the country’s context. Additionally, this article offers recommendations for improving policy and institutional actions to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure in the country.