Sri Lanka and Japan have discussed measures to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI), with particular attention to digital television, local manufacturing and AI infrastructure.
A special meeting was held at the Ministry of Digital Economy between Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eng. Eranga Weeraratne and a delegation led by Hara Shohei, Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The discussions focused on expanding bilateral cooperation in two key priority areas.
Deputy Minister Weeraratne emphasized the need to accelerate the implementation of the Digital Television Project and address practical issues affecting its progress. The meeting also explored the feasibility of manufacturing set-top boxes locally, with the aim of strengthening domestic industries and reducing Sri Lanka’s dependence on imports.
The two sides also discussed the establishment of a National AI Data Centre to support the development of Sri Lanka’s future AI infrastructure.
In parallel, the discussions covered capacity-building programmes, training initiatives, the development of AI solutions tailored to Sri Lanka’s specific needs, and the exchange of international technical expertise and best practices.
The Ministry of Digital Economy expressed its appreciation for the technical assistance provided by JICA to Sri Lanka.
Deputy Minister Weeraratne stressed that efforts would be made to successfully advance these projects while further strengthening the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and Japan.
Ministry of Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Senior Advisor to the President on Digital Economy and Chairman of GovTech Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, and JICA Sri Lanka Chief Representative Shigeki Honzu also participated in the meeting.
