FITIS pledges support to ‘DIGIECON 2030’ to help boost Sri Lanka’s digital economy

FITIS pledged their support towards the National DIGIECON initiative 2030 to President Ranil Wickremesinghe at ceremony held at Temple Trees on March 30. 

Kanaka Herath, State Minister of Technology enunciated that any country that within next 10 years fails to adopt a comprehensive evolving digital strategy encompassing its people, the government, private public institutions, and policies would probably be considered a failed state. Thus, the government of Sri Lanka under the guidance of the President has identified the importance of digital transformation. 

Further, as the subject State minister for Technology together with the help of all other stakeholders from industry, academia, civil Society and likes enunciated that we have created a Digital Economy 2030 plan for Sri Lanka.  

Further stated that a bold and ambitious plan that will shape our future in unprecedented ways. Also stated that as we move towards a more interconnected world, it is imperative that we embrace the opportunities presented by digital technologies and under the Digital Economy 2030 plan spanning the next 7 years, the government and all the stakeholders will work on, developing  a robust digital infrastructure, increase digital literacy, support digital entrepreneurship, encourage e-commerce, strengthen cybersecurity, modernize government services to provide efficiency and transparency of government services by modernizing its government services by digitizing processes, creating digital platforms for citizen engagement, and leveraging data analytics to improve decision-making. Also reiterated that by taking these steps, Sri Lanka can create a vibrant and sustainable digital economy that benefits its citizens, businesses, and the wider society.

Prasad Samarasinghe Chairman FITIS stated that to ensure sustainability, it is important to establish a robust framework for Research & Development and to build patents, a key focal of FITIS. Further ICT Investment & ICT Talent will be key drivers in achieving these goals. Also building a digital highway with Digital Connectivity is a critical pillar in digital adaptation. Investment by the telecom industry in home broadband and 4G/5G and now 6G, following the latest international standards and security guidelines, and providing good network throughput is essential for downstream service delivery. FITIS stands committed to deliver upon this promise via its chapters and allied membership given their focus across the entire spectrum.  

Indika De Zoysa, Vice Chairman FITIS mentioned that the Digital Economy is the key influencing factor for the GDP growth for the Country. Digital inclusion, New Business Models, Digital resilience and Green sustainability are the key factors in the Digital Economy.In order to achieve success, it is essential to articulate a vision and direction, and to realize them through the implementation of a strong digital masterplan and policy. This includes the Digital Sri Lanka Master plan, which will serve as a framework for ICT regulatory. Additionally, the government’s digitization plan and adoption of green energy are crucial factors that will contribute to success.

Digital economy contribution in Sri Lanka is approximately 4.4 percent of GDP attributing towards a contribution of about US$ 3.7 billion.  However, the Digital Economy contribution Global average is around 15 percent of GDP and upwards, with advanced economies showcasing indices around 30 percent of GDP thus this indeed is a very timely initiative to help boost the national digital economy, its contribution towards GDP and also allied indices that tenant around Digital Literacy, Network Readiness Index, Cyber Security Readiness Index, Innovation Index, Talent Index etc.  Thus, FITIS is making plans to fuel the Digital Economy to reach US$ 15 billion by 2030, as reiterated by Indika De Zoysa.