A bilateral discussion aimed at accelerating Sri Lanka’s digital transformation was held in Singapore alongside the “Asia Tech 2026” conference, with participation from representatives of the Gates Foundation.
The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, with discussions focusing on strengthening cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), digital governance, and data-driven development initiatives.
During the meeting, both sides discussed technical and advisory support for Sri Lanka’s national AI strategy and the proposed “AI for Public Good” programme.
It was agreed that Sri Lanka’s draft AI policy framework would be reviewed by the Gates Foundation, while further technical discussions would be initiated to strengthen the country’s digital government infrastructure.
The talks also focused on the next phase of the “Inclusive Digital Agriculture Transformation (IDAT 2)” project, with attention given to improving farmer productivity, expanding market access, increasing climate resilience, and introducing AI-based advisory services for the agriculture sector.
Cooperation with digital public goods initiatives, including AI Singapore and the EkStep Foundation, was also explored during the discussions.
In addition, the Chief Executive Officer of GovTech Sri Lanka was invited to participate in a knowledge-sharing visit to Bangalore to study international developments in digital identity systems.
Representatives of the Gates Foundation, including Hari Menon, also attended the discussions.
