President Ranil Wickremesinghe says the incumbent government is committed to building a digitalized modern Sri Lanka.

Noting that it is the duty of the government to accelerate digitalization by digitalizing the public sector, the Head of State promised to set up a committee of Cabinet ministers to ensure that the public sector utilization is done rapidly.

He made this observation addressing the launching ceremony of the DIGIECON 2030, a digital economy 2030 master plan and a regulatory policy framework kick-off aimed at developing a regulatory framework and the master plan towards transforming the country into an inclusive digital economy. The event, organized by the Ministry of Technology, was held at the Temple Trees.

The keynote address was delivered by Regional Cluster Lead for South Asia for Digital Development, World Bank Siddartha Raja on ‘Leveraging Digital Economy towards a Sustainable and Resilient Sri Lanka’.

During the event, the DIGIECON SRI LANKA 2023-2030 website was launched by President Wickremesinghe, with the support extended by ICT associations.

The launch of DIGIECON 2030, which was concocted on a concept of President Wickremesinghe, is deemed a crucial step in Sri Lanka’s transformation towards an inclusive digital economy.

DIGIECON 2030 will also facilitate scale-ups for over 50 of the most innovative start-ups, small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) and technological developments in Sri Lanka, across a diverse range of industries with a platform to access global investors and markets.

Speaking further, President Wickremesinghe said Rs. 100 million has been set aside for universities and private sector institutions for this year to commence the development of a digital policy and another Rs. 1 billion next year for research in the IT sector and Artificial Intelligence to develop the digital economy.