The foundation for realizing Sri Lanka’s vision of entering the digital era is developing the human resource that is compatible with modern technology and a significant focus was drawn in this regard in the ongoing educational reforms, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated.
The Prime Minister made these remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the first National AI Expo 2025, held in Battaramulla.
The conference and exhibition, jointly organized by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, will be held on September 29 and 30.
The National AI Expo serves as a premier destination for innovations in artificial intelligence, aiming to promote the integration of AI with modern technology, foster collaboration among researchers, entrepreneurs, and companies, and encourage the use of AI across diverse industries. It also seeks to introduce AI technology and tools to students from the school level.
The Prime Minister further stated:
Artificial intelligence is not just a technology; it has become influencing the decisions we make today.
Our aim is to expand Sri Lanka’s digital economy to USD 15 billion accounting for 12% of the GDP and increase digital exports by USD 5 billion, and create a skilled professional digital workforce of 200,000 people by 2030.
The most important aspect of declaring September as the ‘Digital Economy Month’ is creating public awareness and interest in digitalization. Digital tools make our daily lives more convenient and provide practical opportunities to connect with the global economy. By bringing together exhibitions and training programs organized across the island, we must strengthen digital skills, business innovation, and the use of government e-services.
The Prime Minister further stated that the government has already begun introducing new subjects such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and climatology, training 100,000 teachers for this purpose, and providing the necessary resources for smart classrooms.
The Prime Minister further emphasized that every child and every citizen in the country will be empowered to benefit from technology.
Currently, the government is implementing platforms that simplify existing complexities in public services and make service delivery more efficient through the use of e-services.
We have taken a step forward in expanding the GovPay for online traffic fine payment systems, speeding up transactions, and introducing the national AI platform aigov.lk for new product sectors.
In addition, cyber security is being strengthened through a national strategy and an operations center, ensuring the security and trust is essential for a digital marketplace.
These initiatives will enable Sri Lanka to become a digital services hub in South Asia by creating new markets for entrepreneurs, enhancing efficiency for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and attracting foreign investment.
