Sri Lanka President pushes All-Island IT service to drive digital transformation
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to establish the Information Technology Service as an All-Island Service to strengthen the Government’s digital transformation programme.
The President issued the instructions during a progress review meeting on projects and programmes implemented in 2026 under the Ministry of Digital Economy, held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo today (August 19).
The meeting reviewed projects being carried out by the Ministry of Digital Economy and institutions under its purview as part of the Government’s plan to increase the value of Sri Lanka’s digital economy to US$30 billion by 2030.
The progress of programmes implemented by the Department for Registration of Persons, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), the Data Protection Authority, GovTech, Sri Lanka Telecom-Mobitel and the Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company was reviewed separately.
The performance and progress of other projects, including the television programme digitisation project, were also reviewed.
President Dissanayake reviewed the process of introducing digital identity cards by the end of this year. Ministry officials said the necessary arrangements are underway and that the first digital identity card is scheduled to be issued by the end of the year.
The progress of the GovPay programme, which was introduced to make financial transactions between the public and the Government more efficient and convenient, was also reviewed.
Officials said all necessary infrastructure has been put in place to enable vehicle fine payments across the country to be processed exclusively online from September this year.
The meeting also reviewed the National Super App project, which is intended to make public services more convenient, and the National QR Drive project, which aims to reduce the use of cash and promote digital transactions in Sri Lanka.
The progress of the National Data Exchange (NDX), which is designed to allow secure and transparent information sharing among Government institutions while improving public service delivery, was also discussed.
Attention was also given to the Number Portability project, which will allow mobile phone users to switch to another network without changing their existing telephone numbers, as well as the Government’s digital procurement and services platform.
The progress of the Public Impact Champions Network (PIC-Net) programme was also reviewed. The programme was introduced under the Government’s digital economy plan to digitise public services and improve the efficiency of service delivery.
Discussions also covered the Data Transmission Unit (DTU), the AI Data Centre and training and educational programmes conducted by the GovTech Academy.
These programmes are aimed at promoting digital technology, information and communication technology (ICT) skills and innovation across the Government and public service sectors. The future plans of the GovTech Academy were also discussed.
The meeting further focused on the progress of establishing GovTech, developing the necessary technological infrastructure and recruiting staff.
Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Adviser to the President on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala and heads of institutions under the Ministry of Digital Economy were among those present.