A press conference was held to outline the strategic national direction and vision for the 44^th National IT Conference (NITC), positioning Sri Lanka’s digital transformation journey around a people-first and innovation-driven framework. The briefing brought together leaders from industry, government, academia and the wider ICT ecosystem, reinforcing a collective commitment toward building a Human Centric Digital Economy aligned with the principles of Society 5.0.

Held under the theme “Human-Centric Skills Towards Society 5.0” Powering Sri Lanka’s Digital Economy,” the conference aims to drive national dialogue and action around inclusive digital growth, future-ready skills, innovation and sustainable economic transformation. The event highlighted the importance of placing people at the centre of digital development, ensuring technology is used to improve lives, create opportunities and strengthen national competitiveness.

Addressing the media, Heshan Karunarathne, President of CSSL, emphasized that Sri Lanka’s digital future cannot be built through technology adoption alone, but through the empowerment of people. He stated that Society 5.0 presents a significant opportunity to integrate advanced technologies with human values to solve real social and economic challenges facing the country. He further highlighted the importance of digital literacy, accessibility and continuous upskilling as essential pillars for sustainable digital transformation.

Conference Chair and Vice President Indika De Zoysa explained that the 44^th NITC is designed as a strategic national platform that brings together policymakers, industry leaders, innovators and academia to align around a shared digital vision for Sri Lanka. He noted that the conference is intended to move beyond discussion and create actionable national outcomes that can support long-term economic and technological advancement.

He further emphasized that human-centric skills are becoming the foundation of Sri Lanka’s future digital economy, where people and intelligent technologies must work together to generate economic and social value. He also stressed the need for stronger alignment between education systems, vocational training and industry requirements to develop a workforce that is digitally capable, adaptable and innovation-driven.

The briefing highlighted that Sri Lanka’s digital economy has the potential to become a major national growth engine supporting economic recovery, productivity, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness. Particular focus was placed on emerging sectors such as FinTech, EduTech, MedTech, TravelTech, InfoSec, eGovernment and AgriTech, which are expected to play a vital role in accelerating digital innovation and creating new opportunities across industries.

Speakers also emphasized the importance of trust, cybersecurity, ethical governance and data protection as critical foundations for scaling digital adoption across the country. As Sri Lanka moves toward a more connected and data-driven society, establishing strong policy frameworks and secure digital ecosystems was identified as essential for building public confidence and ensuring long-term sustainability.

The 44^th NITC was further positioned as a national convergence platform aimed at fostering collaboration among government institutions, private sector organizations, academia, startups and youth communities. The conference seeks to encourage meaningful partnerships that can translate ideas into practical implementation and strengthen Sri Lanka’s overall digital ecosystem.

Conference discussions will be organized around several strategic tracks including FinTech, EduTech, MedTech, TravelTech, InfoSec, GovTech and AgriTech. These tracks will focus on identifying opportunities for innovation, addressing sector-specific challenges and exploring how human-centric digital transformation can support inclusive national development.

The press briefing also acknowledged the contribution of sponsors and strategic partners supporting the conference and Sri Lanka’s broader digital transformation agenda. The Ministry of Digital Economy joins as the National Partner, while Mastercard serves as the Strategic Partner and Connect to Care as the Knowledge Partner. South Asian Technologies and DMS Technologies have joined as Diamond Sponsors, with Huawei as Platinum Sponsor. Commscope and Aiken support the event as Gold Sponsors.

Industry collaboration is further strengthened through partnerships with FITIS, BCS, ISACA and SLASSCOM, alongside Independent Television Network (ITN) as the Electronic Media Partner. Prime Event Solutions (Pvt) Ltd, Visual Art and Experiences Group (VAEG) and Veloce Technology (Pvt) Ltd also support the conference respectively as Event Partner, Design Partner and Technology Partner.

The briefing concluded with a strong message that Sri Lanka’s future digital success will depend not only on technology infrastructure and innovation, but on how effectively the country can empower its people with the right skills, access and opportunities. Through the 44^th NITC and its Society 5.0 vision, CSSL aims to help shape a digitally empowered, inclusive and globally competitive Sri Lanka where human-centric transformation remains at the heart of national progress.