Public sector digitisation critical to achieving Sri Lanka’s US$ 15bn revenue goal: Experts

Nishan  Mendis

Indika De Zoysa

Mano Sekaram

By Nuzla Rizkiya
Sri Lanka must urgently accelerate digital adoption across its public sector to achieve its US$ 15 billion digital economy target by 2030 with experts cautioning that niche branding alone won’t help the country to remain competitive in an increasingly digitised global economy.
As Sri Lanka has significantly progressed in its digital transformation journey compared to global developments, industry stakeholders stressed the urgent need to fast-track key strategies to facilitate the country’s meaningful participation in the digital age.
Speaking to Mirror Business, Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) Chairman Nishan  Mendis emphasised that a well-structured national digital strategy, backed by investments in infrastructure and digital skills is vital to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to strengthen global engagement.
“To fully realise its potential, the country needs stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector. While some progress is underway, the pace of transformation must accelerate for Sri Lanka to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape,” Mendis said.
“A well-regulated and efficiently managed DPI ecosystem will improve Sri Lanka’s global competitiveness, and its service delivery and create new opportunities for innovation, investment and economic expansion in the digital economy,” he further noted. 
Meanwhile, Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS) Chairman Indika De Zoysa highlighted the seriousness of Sri Lanka’s lag in digital development, noting that the country’s digital economy currently contributes less than 4 percent to the national GDP—well below the global average of 15–20 percent.
“In mature markets, the contribution can go as high as 40 percent. That is a reason why the strategy to reach US$ 15 billion in digital economic value has been laid out,” De Zoysa said.
However, he cautioned that the primary bottleneck lies within government institutions, where public sector and public service digitisation must be fast-tracked whereas the private sector is naturally more inclined to adopt new technologies. 
While this transformation requires funding and capacity building, he shared that collaborative efforts are underway to bring in the necessary infrastructure and technology at the right time.
This includes resources for several key digital initiatives such as plans for the development of an integrated cloud networking environment, a national data exchange framework and the introduction of a Unique Digital Identity (UDI).
“UDI is the biggest priority. It underpins everything else,” De Zoysa stressed.
Echoing similar sentiments, 99x Technology Founder and Chairman Mano Sekaram emphasised that the trajectory of Sri Lanka’s IT sector remains promising but wider institutional adoption is necessary to scale up.
“The goal is achievable and Sri Lanka has strong potential to become a regional knowledge services hub. But the private sector cannot carry this transformation alone. The public sector must also modernise and adopt digital tools to support this transformation,” Sekaram said.