COLOMBO — Sri Lanka is moving to accelerate digitalisation across the public sector after the Cabinet approved the establishment of dedicated Digital Transformation Units within state institutions.

The decision was approved on a proposal presented by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as Minister of Digital Economy. The initiative is designed to give government institutions stronger internal capacity to plan and implement digital transformation projects.

Under the new approach, individual state institutions will have dedicated structures focused on improving the use of digital technology in government operations.

The units are expected to help institutions identify areas where technology can reduce administrative delays, improve service delivery and make public services easier for citizens to access.

Sri Lanka has been increasing its focus on digital government as part of wider efforts to modernise public administration and improve efficiency.

The latest Cabinet decision comes alongside other digital initiatives, including efforts to strengthen artificial intelligence and digital transformation within the country’s state university system.

A stronger institutional structure could also make it easier for government agencies to coordinate technology projects rather than developing digital systems independently.

The government is seeking to create a more integrated digital environment in which citizens can increasingly access public services through modern electronic platforms.

Digital transformation is also expected to improve the management and use of government data, potentially supporting faster decision-making and more efficient delivery of public programmes.

The initiative comes as Sri Lanka works to modernise public institutions following years of economic and fiscal pressure.

Government authorities have increasingly linked digitalisation with improved productivity, transparency and more effective use of public resources.

The new units could therefore become an important part of Sri Lanka’s broader digital-economy agenda, particularly as artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies become more widely used by governments around the world.

The move signals a shift toward making digital transformation a responsibility embedded within individual state institutions rather than treating it only as a central technology programme.