Adaptation to new technology, a drawback in government institutions

Adaptation to modern technology is a major drawback in most government institutions in Sri Lanka, says Harin Fernando, Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment.

Attending the inauguration of the Blockchain Conference held at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo last week, he said, “Adaptation is something that people in the government sector are very reluctant about. It’s a challenge in developing countries like Sri Lanka, but private sector companies are booming because of the advancement in technology.”

Around 860 government offices are equipped with100 Mbps fibre optic connectivity whereas not enough government officials are adapting to the technology to make things faster and convenient, he added.

He also noted that the entire back office of the British Telecom systems, London Stock Exchange and Uber drivers’ cars image map- ping are done in Sri Lanka by 3000 young girls and boys. Today there are around 90,000 IT experts working in Sri Lanka. “Our vision is to reach 350,000 to 400,000 IT experts by 2020,” he noted.

Elaborating on the Blockchain technology, Mr. Fernando stated, private and public sector companies must provide high end IT solutions across multiple industries such as banking and finance, telecommunication, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, trade and commerce, shipping and logis- tics, ports, airports and hospitality in Sri Lanka. Companies must continue to grow its footprint in Sri Lanka, creating job opportunities, inspiring and engaging young Sri Lankans with the passion to innovate and develop new technologies through Blockchain. Sri Lankan IT and tech companies must enter into cross border partnerships, which will not only help the company to expand and grow the business, but it will also create the space to attract talented individuals across Sri Lanka.

Creating attractive employment opportunities remains a top priority of the government, noted Mr. Fernando while adding: “We need the private sector assistance to achieve this goal.” The banking and finance sector must adapt to new age disruptive digital banking solutions towards a cashless society. Big corporate entities and multinationals must look into the Blockchain technology and bring in drone technologies, artificial intelligence, big data, e-commerce, and analytics in various sectors in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka must be made a technology hub, to foster entrepreneurship, help start-ups and tech- nology enterprises. “If Sri Lanka’s GDP is to grow by 8-10 per cent per annum, we can no longer depend (solely) on our traditional exports like apparel, tea, rubber and coconut. Industry stakeholders must explore the Blockchain technology and transform Sri Lanka into an information technology and digital enabled economy,” Mr. Fernando noted.

BPOS Global, Oman CEO Anselm Perera at the event mentioned that Blockchain will revolutionize the use of technology in every business vertical, may it be government, private sector or even personal and social lives of people. The technology that is likely to have the greatest impact in the next few decades has arrived and it is not social media, big data, robotics or artificial intelligence, but the use of Blockchain, he added.

Central Bank Deputy Governor, C.J.P Siriwardana stated that the key benefit of Blockchain is transparency and accountability. “Sri Lanka has been in the process of digitization from the past. The government and the Central Bank are in the process of Blockchain exploration,” he said.

If Sri Lanka’s GDP is to grow by 8-10 per cent per annum, we can no longer depend (solely) on our traditional exports like apparel, tea, rubber and coconut. Industry stakeholders must explore the Blockchain technology and transform Sri Lanka into an information technology and digital enabled economy,