News
Crisis-ridden Lanka’s brain drain hits ICT sector’s workforce; requires 100,000 more – official
By Shihar Aneez
Sri Lanka’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is facing a dearth of skilled workforce with most having already left the country, a top official said.
Sri Lanka has aimed at boosting the digital economy to contribute at least $15 billion to the economy by 2030 under the Digiecon-2030 plan which includes digital nomad visas, e-payments in all government institutions, and single window approvals.
According to the Digiecon-2030, Sri Lanka’s ICT workforce should be at least 175,000 this year and 300,000 by 2025.
“But we only have 75,000 at the moment. We are on the path of achieving the targets of Digiecon-2030, but the brain drain is a huge concern,” Prasad Samarawickrema, the Project Director of Digiecon-2030 told EconomyNext.
The ambitious Digiecon-2030 aims to accelerate Sri Lanka’s economy towards an inclusive digital economy by leveraging advanced technology-based solutions.
“Most of the ICT workers leave the country with just one year of job experience mainly to Europe countries,” Samarawickrema said.
“As at present we need at least 50,000 additional ICT workers and to achieve our targets we need start-ups and technicians. Without them, achieving the target would be difficult.”
He said Sri Lanka needs to change the school syllabus to include ICT as a subject with the latest update and change the ICT courses in vocational training centers to produce employable ICT workers.
“You need at least seven years to change school syllabus and one-and-half years in vocational training schools. By the time they change it, the latest technologies would have already come in and we may be teaching outdated subjects,” he said.
“We need a special educational system change in the ICT sector. Even the graduates produced in Sri Lanka are unemployable in the industry.”
Sri Lanka has seen an exodus of ICT workers to foreign countries after it plunged into an unprecedented economic crisis which forced the authorities to declare bankruptcy and sovereign debt default in April last year.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the Minister of Technology, has been trying to digitalize the economy to reduce bribery and corruption and fast track the economic growth.However, many state sector employees have been resisting digitization in the past.
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.
The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.
Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.
The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.
According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.
Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.
The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.
In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.
The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.
The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.
Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
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