Sri Lankan Government to set up special digital transformation units
The Morning: The Government is seeking Cabinet approval to establish special digital transformation units within Government entities as a mechanism to fast-track digitalisation.
Speaking to The Morning Business, Ministry of Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala said that a Cabinet paper would be submitted seeking approval to establish the units.
“There will be a Cabinet paper. We are going to get Cabinet approval to set up some specialised digital transformation units within Government entities. They will look into the business cases as well as the required solutions,” he stated.
He explained that the decision was being taken to fast-track the Government’s intervention in establishing a cashless economy, noting that traditional approaches had not proved effective owing to difficulties faced in attracting the necessary human resources as a result of existing salary scales in the public sector.
“However, GovTech, established under the chairmanship of Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, is in a position where it can deploy high-calibre resources to Government entities,” Dhanapala said.
He added that under this proposed mechanism, GovTech, the successor to the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), would be deployed in critical public service centres to upgrade their systems, introduce new systems, and troubleshoot.
The Secretary pointed out that this mechanism would prove beneficial in preventing over-reliance on certain private parties, thereby avoiding vendor lock-in scenarios.
Dhanapala further stated that each unit would come under the full leadership of the head of the relevant Government department and would function as a special help desk or transformation unit tasked with aligning its interventions, digital engagements with citizens, and other services with the Government’s overall digital economic blueprint.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s push to accelerate digital transformation across the public sector is opening a growing field of business/investment opportunities for foreign technology companies and investors, particularly as the Sri Lankan Government moves towards a more cashless and digitally enabled economy. The proposed establishment of specialised digital transformation units within Government institutions could create a more structured pathway for private-sector participation (PPPs) in areas such as digital payments, government platforms, cybersecurity, cloud services, data management, artificial intelligence and digital identity solutions. The move comes as Sri Lanka’s economic activity and digital ecosystem continue to expand, increasing demand for technology-driven services across both the public and private sectors. For international businesses/investors, this creates opportunities not only to supply technology, but also to develop and operate long-term digital infrastructure and services. With the Sri Lankan Government seeking to overcome traditional public-sector capacity constraints by bringing in specialised expertise, Sri Lanka’s digitalisation drive could increasingly become an investment story — particularly for companies able to provide scalable, secure and cost-effective solutions suited to emerging markets.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20260813Z_1 |