Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka

The Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry in Sri Lanka is on its way to grow at twice the rate than at present and has great potential to contribute to the socio economic development of the country.
Recognised as one of the fastest growing industries in Sri Lanka including the BPO/Software sector accounting for the country's income as the fifth largest export earner, the ICT industry has recorded an impressive growth within the past few years.
Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) has plans to speed up the growth process and achieve the position of second largest export earner of the country by 2012.
ICTA Chief Operating Officer Reshan Dewapura speaking at the press conference to announce the mini Infotel exhibition in Jaffna stated that the targeted growth could be easily achieved by involving the Peninsula in its development process. "The government is eyeing to lift IT and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industries to the second position in the export earning category by the year 2012 and to number one by 2015," Dewapura said, "We are sure that if the current trend continues we could effortlessly achieve our goals."

The literacy rate of ICT throughout the country is also on the rise. As per the latest statistics revealed by Dewapura, IT literacy countrywide is close to 30 per cent. "The government is committed to increase this by 50 per cent." Dewapura stressed.
Dewapura said that the ICT is probably the only industry that has the ability to recoup first and fast from recession. Being a knowledge based industry there is no infrastructure involved and therefore it has the ability to bounce back faster than other industries.
"Maximum opportunity should be reaped now, despite the severe resource constraints that may stand as the major barrier for fast tracking growth in the field," he said.
Acknowledging that the Lankan industry is on the threshold of reaping benefits not only from the post war era but also from the foreseeable end of the global economic recession, Dewapura stated that the IT industry in Sri Lanka would be the future driving force of the Lankan economy.
With a view to harnessing the fuller benefits of ICT by expanding its reach countrywide, the Mini Infotel exhibition is to be held from February 26- 28 at the Vembady Girls' High School. Themed as "Reawakening with ICT" the exhibition and training programme aims at promoting ICT in the Northern Region.
 "There is a lot of potential in the Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka and urban Sri Lanka should not forget the long term benefits that could be reaped by concentrating and investing in the rural parts of the country. Even by engaging in these areas on a Corporate Social Responsibility level the long-standing benefits companies will receive are far greater than one could expect," Dewapura said.
Developing IT in rural areas also holds poverty reduction prospects and national reconciliation through greater integration of the nation. Dewapura admitted that the rural areas offer an excellent resource pool for the IT industry to grow. "By teaching them to engage in IT as a career we could achieve greater poverty reduction," he said adding that the government has pledged to make Sri Lanka a 'hub of knowledge.'

By Cheranka Mendis

http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/business/127-local/3128.html

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