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| Sunday, 22 June 2003 |
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ICT Agency formed e-Sri Lanka programme gathers momentum The ICT Agency, the implementing arm of the 'e-Sri Lanka Smart People Smart Island' programme, became a reality with the ICT Bill being passed in Parliament last week. The Government is now in the process of selecting a capable management team. Eran Wickramaratna has been appointed Chairman of the ICT Agency while Manju Haththotuwa of Millennium Information technologies is tipped to be the CEO. According to industry sources, the other members will include Prof Rohan Samarajiva, Dr Hans Wijayasuriya and P. Thayaparan. The World Bank has offered financial help to the tune of US$ 50 million while the Swedish International Development Agency, Canadian International Development Agency, Ausaid and Japan Bank for International Cooperation have also extended their support. As the programme evolves, more funding will come in, Wickramaratna said. He said Minister of Economic Reform, Science and Technology Milinda Moragoda and Indian ICT Minister Arun Shourie have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore areas in which Sri Lanka and India can cooperate. The Government has also signed a preliminary agreement with Malaysia and will form an MoU with the country during the Malaysian Energy and Communication Minister Datuk Leo Mooggi's visit, scheduled for July or August. Dr Lalith Gamage, MD and CEO said the establishment of the Information and Communications Technology Agency is more than welcome as IT is key to developing the country and linking it with the rest of the world. It will accelerate development and pass on the benefits to all sectors of society. He said the initiative has also brought industry associations under one umbrella, known as the Sri Lanka ICT Association (SLICTA). The ICT Agency will work hand in hand with the SLICTA, the private sector voice. Gamage said: "Since the people involved are committed, the time targets set out by the proposals are very much achievable. Earlier, the Government did not take the ICT industry seriously because the industry was not united, but had several voices." Human resource development is a pillar of the e-Sri Lanka initiative and the ICT Agency has already established centres of excellence at the University of Colombo, University of Moratuwa and Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology. These centres will develop the necessary manpower to cater to the growing needs in the IT field. Other universities will join the programme in the near future. Chairman (Marketing Committee) SLICTA Manoj Mohinani said that achieving time targets will not be a problem if the finances come as expected. "It will also be an opportunity to show how efficient we are in achieving the targets set out by the Government." Secretary General Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Prema Cooray said: "This is the way for Sri Lanka to go and it is a laudable project. We at the Chamber will support the project wholeheartedly as it will ultimately benefit everybody". The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka lauded the establishment of the ICT Agency as it would be responsible for the implementation of programmes to achieve the Government's 'e-Sri Lanka Smart People, Smart Island' vision. It will focus on areas such as human resources development, the development of infrastructure needed to network Sri Lanka, e-government and e-society and the introduction of new technology that will help Sri Lanka to leapfrog into the knowledge economy. They said: "What eventually matters is whether this agency would help uplift the living standards of our people and eliminate poverty. This is precisely what it will try to achieve, as ICT would help transform Sri Lanka by increasing productivity and competitiveness, fostering innovation and maximising overall efficiency, transparency and accountability. The ICT Agency will emphasise on timely delivery of services to citizens and businesses, motivation to change the public sector image, demonstration of ability for change, immediate access to information, single point of access to all services, making telecommunication facilities accessible to the poor and rural areas, bringing the Internet to the countryside, expanding the incubator concept established for IT companies to provide seed capital for entrepreneurial ventures and mainstreaming ICT education at all levels. "We congratulate the Government for this piece of legislation, but caution that unless there is a willingness to change starting from the highest level in the public sector, nothing can be achieved." Some sectors of the industry voiced their fears saying the e-Sri Lanka initiative has opened doors for companies from countries such as India and Korea to come and bid for software projects, depriving the local companies of equal opportunities. |
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