Ministry of Defence Hosts Awareness Programmeon Sri Lanka’s Digital Blueprint

The Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Economy, successfully conducted an awareness programme on "Sri Lanka's Digital Blueprint" on 03 September 2025 at the Nandimithra Auditorium, Ministry of Defence. The event, organised at the request of the Ministry of Digital Economy and under the direction of the Defence Secretary, aimed to provide strategic insights into the Government's digital transformation road map and explore avenues for aligning the defence sector with Sri Lanka's digital economy. The programm was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence, senior officers of the Tri Services. The Chief Advisor to H.E. the President on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya conducted the awareness programme.

Also present were senior officials from the Ministry of Digital Economy and affiliated organisations, including Mr. T.R.W.S. Dhanapala (Acting Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy), Mr. Sanjaya Karunasena (Chief Executive Officer, ICTA), Mr. Sumudu Rathnayaka (Advisor to the Ministry of Digital Economy), and Ms. Chanaki Mallikarachchi (Director - ICT, Ministry of Digital Economy).

Delivering the keynote presentation, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to H.E. the President on Digital Economy, outlined Sri Lanka's Digital Economy Road map. He highlighted that digital activity currently contributes only 3-5% to Sri Lanka's economy, compared with 20-25% in advanced nations. Accelerating digital penetration, he noted, could raise Sri Lanka's GDP growth by an additional 2-3 percentage points annually.

Dr. Wijayasuriya emphasised several strategic priorities, including placing digital transformation at the forefront of national policy, ensuring return on investment (ROI) and sustainability in technology adoption, and leveraging public private partnerships (PPPs) to overcome fiscal limitations. He stressed that citizen and business experience must be at the centre of all digital initiatives, ensuring ease of access and efficiency.

He also underlined the importance of building secure, interoperable, and open systems with security and trust "by design" while maximising horizontal platforms rather than isolated verticals. Sri Lanka's digital strategy, he explained, should be AI-first, cloud-first, and mobile-first, driving both agility and resilience.

A key focus of his address was the development of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), which will include: A unique digital ID for citizens, businesses, and tourists, a National Federated Data Exchange to enable secure, consent based data sharing across institutions, Digital vouchers and payments to enhance transparency and efficiency in subsidies and government-to-person services and Verifiable digital credentials such as driving licenses, certificates, and service IDs to improve trust, reduce fraud, and streamline both civilian and defence processes.

The programme concluded with closing remarks delivered by the Director of Defence Cyber Command, highlighting the importance of cyber readiness and the integration of defence into Sri Lanka's wider digital journey.

The awareness programme served as a pivotal platform to align the Ministry of Defence and the Tri Forces with the Government's national digital strategy. It reinforced the critical role of digital transformation in driving economic growth, improving efficiency, and strengthening Sri Lanka's national security and defence capabilities.