The National Digital Portal for cooperative member registration was officially launched today (14), marking a significant step towards integrating Sri Lanka’s cooperative sector with digital technology.
The initiative was launched at an event held under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development Upali Samarasinghe.
The Deputy Minister said the digital portal is not merely a technological project, but the first step in a national programme aimed at improving transparency within the cooperative sector and strengthening public trust.
He said the new system will enable the secure and systematic collection of information of cooperative members across the country through a unified national database.
According to the Deputy Minister, Sri Lanka has more than 14,000 registered cooperative societies, with 8,963 currently active and a membership base of nearly 8.7 million, based on 2017 data.
He added that the cooperative sector provides employment opportunities for more than 39,000 people, with a significant contribution from women.
The absence of an integrated and updated digital database had been a major challenge for the sector, he said, adding that the newly launched portal would address this issue.
The programme also aims to attract youth participation, encourage women entrepreneurs and establish digital marketplaces for rural products while developing Sri Lanka’s cooperative movement in line with international standards, according to the Deputy Minister.
