Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said there should be a proper local mechanism to produce information technology experts to satisfy local demand.
The Prime Minister addressing Sri Lankan community in Oslo, Norway on Friday evening said a common mechanism should be prepared jointly by the state and private sector to produce information technology experts to meet the huge and ever growing demand in the country.
The Prime Minister further said that both the Norwegian institutions operating in Sri Lanka and the local institutions in the information technology sector are facing a difficulty in not having enough IT professionals. “There is a scarcity of human resources of IT experts,” he said.
As a remedy to this issue, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe requested Norwegian investors to invest in the IT sector to open companies that produce IT professionals in Sri Lanka. He noted that the government is ready to provide financial assistance to students, selected to these institutions. He urged investors to collaborate in the field of fisheries and agriculture sectors besides IT.
While giving a positive response to the Prime Minister’s request, SLASSCOM Chairman Jeevan Gnanam said his company has been engaging in the Sri Lankan IT sector for years and it is observed that there is a better opportunity in the Sri Lankan IT sector.
Gnanam said the IT sector should be more strengthened to pave the way for a better future. Both Norway and Sri Lanka are small countries and it is better to encourage small and medium scale entrepreneurs to enter into the IT sector, he said.