• Agency in the process of handing over projects
• Projects currently under ICTA being transferred to GovTech
• GovTech already operational with approx. 50 employees onboard

The liquidator to wind up the affairs of the Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) is expected to be appointed within the next two to three months, according to the Deputy Minister of Digital Economy.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne stated that the ICTA was currently in the process of handing over its projects and that a liquidator would be appointed once this transition was completed.

“The projects currently under the ICTA are being transferred to GovTech. Once that process is finalised, we will appoint a liquidator,” he said.

He further noted that the expected timeline for appointing the liquidator was within the next two to three months.

Commenting on the status of GovTech Ltd., Weeraratne revealed that the entity was already operational with approximately 50 employees onboard, with plans to expand in the near term alongside further recruitment.

Addressing the status of former ICTA employees, he stated that they were eligible to apply for positions within the new entity.

Elaborating on GovTech’s mandate, the Deputy Minister explained that the institution would focus on providing high-level technical input, governance, and support to line ministries. 

In contrast to the ICTA, GovTech will not engage directly in software development, instead relying on the private sector for such functions.

The previous Government announced its decision to wind down the ICTA as far back as 2022, when, during the 2023 Budget speech, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as Minister of Finance, proposed that the ICTA be abolished since it had completed its role.

The former Government announced that the ICTA would be replaced by an entity titled the Digital Transformation Agency, established by the proposed Technology Promotion Act.

The ICTA, an institution wholly owned by the Government, was formulated and operationalised to implement the e-Sri Lanka Development Project funded by the World Bank from 2004–2011. Through this project, the ICTA was to be used to develop Sri Lanka’s economy, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of life of the people of the country. 

However, the sunset clause of the ICTA contained in the Information and Communication Technology Act No.27 of 2003 was amended in 2008, allowing it a permanent existence.