Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Development Coordination and Supervision,State Ministry of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development.

Minister Namal Rajapaksa to Deliver Keynote Address on “Digital Inclusion and Transformation in South Asia”

The State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development Hon. Namal Rajapaksa will be delivering the keynote address on the theme “Digital Inclusion and Transformation in South Asia” at a virtual event that will take place on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, at 2 p.m.

The event, organized jointly by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) of India, Colombo Initiative in Sri Lanka and the Sappani Foundation in Canada, aims to promote engagements between Sri Lanka, India and other nations in the region, which also aligns with Minister Rajapaksa’s vision to elevate Sri Lanka as a global hub for digital technology and commerce.

Both India and Sri Lanka have leveraged their digital tools to help their populations through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital technologies have been crucial for the continuity of governments and industries and for social resilience during the pandemic, and they will also be key to post-pandemic economic recovery. The “pandemic push” also accelerated the adoption of services in the realms of e-commerce, digital payments and online education. 

The pandemic has accelerated the need to create digital inclusion in developing countries, in order to cope with the “new normal.” In such a context, Minister Rajapaksa will be outlining the progress Sri Lanka has made in terms of establishing digital inclusion during the pandemic. Further, the keynote address will also present the Government’s plan to achieve truly inclusive” digital growth in Sri Lanka, in the post-pandemic era.

Register for the Event: https://www.orfonline.org/research/digital-inclusion-and-transformation-in-south-asia/

CI LINKEDIN POST

Colombo Initiative (CI), in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) of India and the Sappani Foundation in Canada, is delighted to launch a series of discussions and high-level engagements on the Sri Lanka—India bilateral relationship and the larger region.

The inaugural panel discussion under the theme “Digital Inclusion and Transformation in South Asia,” which will take place virtually on Friday, August 27, 2021 at 2 p.m. The event will commence with a keynote address by Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development, and will be followed by the panel discussion that will include leaders from the digital sector in Sri Lanka and India:

Anna Roy

Senior Advisor, NITI Aayoh, India

Mahinda B. Herath

CEO, Information and Communication Technology Agency, Sri Lanka

Deena Jacob

Co-founder & Chief Financial Officer, Open India

Jayomi Lokuliyana

Co-founder/CEO of zMessenger & DigitalX, Founder of MyMed International and Chairperson of the Women’s Chamber for Digital Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

Nisha Holla (Moderator)

Visiting Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

With access to digital technologies becoming central to government/private sector approaches to social, economic and quality of life challenges, this panel brings together prominent stakeholders in the digital arena from India and Sri Lanka to discuss key questions.

Join the discussion: https://www.orfonline.org/research/digital-inclusion-and-transformation-in-south-asia/

Media Unit,

Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Development Coordination and Supervision,State Ministry of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development.