Aimed at introducing innovative cloud computing solutions to accelerate the digital transformation of Sri Lanka's public and financial sectors, the benchmark "GROUNDED: Local Data Sovereignty Cloud Summit" concluded recently (June 17) at the Courtyard by Marriott, Colombo.
The event was jointly organized by NCINGA and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Delivering the keynote address, the Hon. Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eng. Eranga Weeraratne, emphasized that digital infrastructure must become the primary engine of the national economy to realize the goals of the 2030 National Economic Framework.
Outlining several pivotal strategies for the nation's digital future, the Deputy Minister strongly highlighted the necessity of establishing localized "Hybrid Cloud" systems within Sri Lanka. He noted that this approach ensures maximum security and absolute national sovereignty over sensitive government and financial data. Furthermore, the forum shed light on the potential of building domestic artificial intelligence frameworks, such as "Sovereign AI" and the "NCINGA AI Factory," tailored specifically to local requirements to deliver faster, highly secure, citizen-centric public services.
The Deputy Minister further stated that to fortify the national economy, transition informal economic channels into structured pathways, and foster comprehensive financial inclusion, the state must rapidly deploy foundational digital public infrastructure, including a National Digital ID and Real-Time Payment systems. Acknowledging that the government cannot drive this massive transformation in isolation, he highly commended the active role played by global and local technology leaders like AWS and NCINGA. He reiterated that the private sector is not merely a vendor supplying commodities, but a true strategic partner instrumental in achieving this national vision.
Concluding his remarks, the Deputy Minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s absolute commitment to cultivating world-class local talent among Sri Lankan youth, equipping them with advanced capabilities in high-growth, emerging domains including Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to sustain these modern technical ecosystems.
The summit was attended by a distinguished gathering of high-level public and private sector executives, financial industry leaders, and technology experts, including Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, and the Head of AWS Public Sector for India and Sri Lanka, Mr. Mayank Arora.
