brand logo

‘Aiming to create technological innovation culture’

08 Apr 2021

  • President lays out Government’s technology blueprint

  The following is the transcript of the speech delivered by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Sri Lanka Internet Day 2021, the first event of its kind in the country, held virtually on Tuesday (6) and yesterday (7).   Dear friends, I am very pleased to address the inaugural Sri Lanka Internet Day 2021 organised by the Digital Chapter of the Federation of Information Technology Industry in Sri Lanka (FITIS). I am very encouraged to witness the participation of distinguished speakers from abroad, who I am sure would be able to add much value to the work Sri Lanka has undertaken in the information communication technology (ICT) field. I also note with much satisfaction the role played by the newly formed Ministry of Technology in this inaugural event with enthusiastic support from the ICT Agency (ICTA), Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), Export Development Board (EDB), and the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) as national partners. It is essential that a strong collective effort is launched to make Sri Lanka move forward in an expeditious manner.   The theme of the event, “Digital Inclusion”, encompasses how the citizens’ engagement in a digital society will see an improvement in terms of access, affordability, and digital ability. This theme is in line with the policy document “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” that I presented to the people at the presidential election in 2019. On a 10-point policy framework I presented, the sixth pillar, “A Technology-based Society”, assumes great importance because it is an enabler for the overall development of Sri Lanka and strengthens the implementation of people-centric economic proposals. In order to give effect to this initiative, “A Technology Based Society”, in the latter half of last year, a new Ministry of Technology was established under my charge. This new ministry envisages reworking strategies that will help build a technology-based society. The goal and the collective mission of this Ministry is to build a culture of technology and innovation that will enhance the internet economy and living standards of our people and add value to their lives. We have pledged and are working diligently towards creating a “smart nation”, composed of a society dependent on technology. A culture of technological innovation is what we are aiming to establish, be it agriculture, industry, or services. All these economic sectors will have to integrate with technology if they are to survive and compete. The policy I enunciated also outlines the creation of a global innovation hub. Through the introduction and later, ensuring wide availability of Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, robotics, cloud computing, nanotechnology, and 3D printing, Sri Lanka is beginning to create the infrastructure to make the country a global innovation hub. If not for the debilitating blow dealt by the Covid-19 pandemic, we would have covered much ground by now. Nevertheless, with the lessons taught by the global pandemic, we are moving with more vigour to realise our stated goals. On this inaugural Sri Lanka Internet Day, a key component of the Technology-Based Society pillar cannot be overlooked. That is the setting up of the “Citizen-Centric Digital Government” for the convenience of the citizens. Establishing citizen service centres to adopt new technologies for public service delivery, introducing a digital and electronic payment system to pay traffic fines, and establishing an e-procurement system to eliminate bribery and corruption, among others, are envisaged under this component. Very soon, a unique digital identity card with state-of-the-art technology for every citizen will be a reality. Substantial work has been done in this regard. These citizen service will greatly depend on wide availability and access to the internet. It is essential that for e-governance to be firmly established, high-speed internet is available throughout the country. It cannot be limited only to urban areas. A well-implemented e-governance framework will not only ensure the wellbeing of the people in their day-to-day activities, but will also make the Government work efficiently and effectively. This will lead to drastically reduce corruption in transactions. Undoubtedly, an efficient e-governance programme facilitated by high-speed internet will save time people spend on getting essential things done from the Government. Further, to take Sri Lanka firmly into the 21st Century, a “Digitally Inclusive” Sri Lanka must be established. Our policy document enumerates this vital initiative. A few key programmes in this component are establishing a country-wide high-speed optical data transmission system and a high-speed 5G mobile broadband system to facilitate data transmission, establishing digital cities with digital administration and monitoring, introducing mobile and digital payment systems, and introducing new legislation to ensure data protection, cybersecurity, and intellectual property rights. We also envisage through our policy basket to promote IT entrepreneurship. We are therefore very desirous of supporting the local entrepreneurs to develop software for the international market and boost our IT exports to $ 5 billion annually. In most rural areas, internet speed is a bottleneck for advancement of many economic sectors. Unless high-speed internet is made available to people, we would not be able to make substantial improvements in their day-to-day life. This is true in the case of investors as well. For investors to see Sri Lanka as an attractive destination, high-speed internet is a key requirement. Having high-speed internet even in rural areas will offer more lucrative opportunities for these investors, leading to rural areas becoming ideal locations for industries to be established. I am aware that a lot more work needs to be done to realise our goals. Nevertheless, work that is being carried out by the public and private sector agencies provide us much hope. The recently established Technology Ministry has already commenced building technology parks that will change the IT and innovation landscape of Sri Lanka. These parks, once established, will also be attractive centres for lucrative FDIs (foreign direct investments) in the technology fields. These technology parks will also provide much-needed learning opportunities to our youth and budding entrepreneurs. Undoubtedly, IT infrastructure including fast and secure internet facilities will be essential for us to forge ahead in all the above. The TRC is identifying areas in the country where telecommunication facilities are poor and taking remedial steps to improve signal quality and also improve internet facilities. The Government as a whole is placing much emphasis on improving telecommunication and IT infrastructures and closely collaborating with the private sector companies in these fields. The tax benefits provided to the IT sector is a good example of the Government’s intention to enhance private sector productivity. As the internet is becoming a part and parcel of life of almost every citizen, I am very keen to ensure that no area, rural or urban, is left out. As we saw during the pandemic, access to the internet and through the internet to a variety of services was highlighted. The 4.2 million school population had to rely on online education and in certain areas children complained that the poor quality of the telecommunication signals shut them out of certain learning opportunities. Ironically, in my “Discourse with the Village”, I find that in certain rural areas, villagers request for better and cheap internet facilities, underlining how communities have become dependent on the internet. In this culture of technological innovation, technology, particularly ICT, will have a heavy influence on education and its related fields. We are already seeing the inroads the ICTs have made into every aspect of education. These innovations the ICTs have incorporated into education have created revolutionary and salutary changes in the entire education system starting from early childhood education to high-level research and doctoral-level education. Long-standing barriers to education that poor communities encountered have been either completely neutralised or partially removed. In developed countries, the internet is widely used to improve access to education. We still have not exploited the many avenues in this regard. As I said, Covid-19 has been an obstacle to some of the work we planned in the field of education. The acute shortage of science and maths teachers is an impediment to our progress in science-based education. Training teachers in both these fields will take a long time and a substantial effort. High-speed internet is the solution to this much-debated issue of shortage of teachers. Today, the world is deploying very innovative applications to deliver content to students in remote localities. I wish to invite entrepreneurs to take a serious look at these opportunities in the field of education. As done in other countries, our entrepreneurs can make use of these opportunities that would be mutually beneficial to the student community as well as to business entities. The potential in this sector seems to be substantial with students across the board keen to access effective learning opportunities irrespective of where they live. Our Government has already provided many benefits to would-be entrepreneurs and they must capitalise on these lucrative avenues. Another vital area high-speed internet could make the lives of the rural farmers and the consumer in the city fruitful, is agriculture. Good and fast internet facilities coupled with the right applications could link the rural farmer with the consumer. This will provide a good farm gate price to the producer and a reasonable buying price to the consumer and reduce the unsavoury gap we observe at present. Here too, entrepreneurs and investors alike could exploit the enormous opportunities available to them in agriculture. Besides, the availability of good internet facilities will provide an effective platform to educate the farmer on numerous things essential to his livelihood. Both the Government and the private entrepreneur could educate the farmer on the type of fertiliser to be used, crops to be cultivated, general market prices, provide useful technical advice, and a plethora of information useful for successful agriculture. With all these opportunities available to us and the high potential we are yet to tap, on this inaugural Internet Day, I wish to avail this opportunity to extend my best wishes to FITIS and all the other agencies, in both the public and private sectors, to forge ahead strongly without being dampened by the obstacles we as a nation have had to face. The launch of Internet Day is a step in this direction. I wish you success in all your endeavours. Thank you.

Kapruka

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


More News..