We recognize that ICT is the only tool that will cross or break geographical barriers, social barriers and reach out to the rural, disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

I am of the firm opinion that our youth must be fully empowered to face the future with confidence. Knowledge of ICT will not only empower them but will also allow them to be a part of the global village with ease. Our government accords very high priority to ICT education for our youth and will in the next decade invest vast funds to ensure that every child will be imparted with ICT skills, so said President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the inauguration of e-Asia 2009 at BMICH, Colombo today .

"My government and I believe that any development activity that we embark upon should ultimately offer benefits to the ordinary citizens of our country. People, should be the final benefactors of all development projects. The National Policy based development activities that we have commenced, are firmly rooted on this premise and the e-development agenda is no exception," President added.


Full text of the speech:

Honourable Prof. Tissa Vitharane
Minister of Science and Technology

Distinguished invitees
Friends

I am extremely happy to inaugurate the e-Asia 2009, conference and exhibition, identified as Asia’s premier ICT event. Sri Lanka is proud to host this prestigious event and I would like to warmly welcome all the foreign delegates to this conference.

In the ‘Mahinda Chintana’, my election manifesto, which received the endorsement of the people, we recognized the importance of rapidly creating an information society in Sri Lanka. We are now looking forward to transforming that information society to a knowledge culture in the decade to come.

In this context it is timely that an event of this magnitude is being hosted in Sri Lanka this year. It is even more fitting that this is the largest and the culminating event of 2009, which the government declared as the Year of English and IT. We are committed to bring English and IT, which were available only to a privileged few, to the rural citizens of our country. We are closer to achieving this aim since terrorism which destroyed the nation for three decades, has finally come to an end.

My government and I believe that any development activity that we embark upon should ultimately offer benefits to the ordinary citizens of our country. People, should be the final benefactors of all development projects. The National Policy based development activities that we have commenced, are firmly rooted on this premise and the e-development agenda is no exception.

We are firmly of the belief that Information and Communication Technology, is the future driving force of economies. It is the tool and the enabler that will push the boundaries of socio-economic development in countries such as ours. It is with this aim that we have given priority to ICT, and mainstreamed ICT in all our development activities. It is in this regard that we are firmly pushing ahead with pioneering initiatives such as e-Sri Lanka.

This effort has resulted in numerous achievements and successes in the field of ICT in Sri Lanka. Our percentage ranking in the Network Readiness Index has moved up from 72 to 53 in a space of three years. Our ICT Literacy figure has increased from 4% in 2004 to over 30%. I am committed to ensure that it goes up to 60% by 2012. Sri Lanka’s ranking has also improved significantly in the e-Gov readiness index as well as the BPO location index in the last few years.

We are dedicated to make the idea of the global village, more meaningful to our people; we have stressed the importance of linking the villages and townships in all the provinces and districts of our country with the outside world of knowledge.

And to achieve this objective, the ‘Mahinda Chintana’ lays emphasis on the un-mistakable need to urgently equip the people, especially the youth, with proficiency in the English language on the one side and to provide them with access to computers and internet facilities, through the rapid development of use of information technology, on the other.

In this context we have implemented a unique network of ‘tele-centers’ known as the Nenasalas, which now has over 600 centers all across the island. We have also established over three thousand five hundred (3,500) IT labs in schools, across the country.

ICT is therefore used by our Government as instruments of rural empowerment; as powerful tools that could make the villages of our country a meaningful part of the global village.

The e-Sri Lanka initiative has numerous other successes. The Government Information Centre, the Birth, Marriage and Death Certificate project, the Lanka Government Network, and the e-Society come to the fore-front as projects that have used ICT for the benefit, and to improve the daily lives of ordinary people. The results of many other projects are to be unveiled in the near future.

In order to take ICT led development to the next level, my officials are in the process of preparing the next phase of the National ICT Master Plan, which will see e-Sri Lanka 2, delivering the fruits of ICT to the citizens of our country over the next decade.

It is in this background that e-Asia 2009 has come to Sri Lanka. An event of this scale is of high significance to Sri Lanka as it enters this era of prosperity with the end of terrorism. An event of this nature, provides an opportunity for all stakeholders of the ICT field in Asia, for meaningful discussions on the major advances of ICT.

Just as the ICT success here in Sri Lanka, our country would also like to recognize that many other Asian countries have also embarked upon and delivered successful e-Development initiatives. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all my fellow leaders of Asian nations for this achievement, in taking Asia forward and being the future power-house of knowledge based economies.

A conference of this nature gives us further opportunities to share our experiences and harmonize our efforts for the future. Such interactions will positively contribute to the progress of the entire Asian region.

There has never been this much commitment and focus for ICT led development. Our government is making significant investments in building capacity & training, assisting in business development and other targeted interventions for the ICT Industry.

We recognize that ICT is the only tool that will cross or break geographical barriers, social barriers and reach out to the rural, disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. It is the tool that will eventually help develop a true cyber class. It is up to all of us to ensure that these are not just dreams, that we achieve each and every one of these goals and objectives, and events of this nature are definitely a significant advance in this respect.

However, our children must be protected from the dangers in the cyber space at any cost. Our culture also should not be harmed due to any advances in ICT. I am therefore appealing to all the Asian leaders to take precautions in this regard.

I am of the firm opinion that our youth must be fully empowered to face the future with confidence. Knowledge of ICT will not only empower them but will also allow them to be a part of the global village with ease. Our government accords very high priority to ICT education for our youth and will in the next decade invest vast funds to ensure that every child will be imparted with ICT skills.

Last but not the least, ICT will also help Sri Lankans to truly integrate and work towards becoming a cohesive nation. From North to South and East to West, people will communicate with each other using ICT and enhance communal harmony. That is our ultimate objective.

In conclusion, I commend all those who worked tirelessly to successfully organize this conference and exhibition. I am sure all of you will reap the maximum benefit out of e-Asia 2009. I also hope that all our foreign guests will travel out of Colombo to see the natural beauty of our country and experience for themselves truly Sri Lankan hospitality.

Thank you.