The digital chapter of the Federation of Information Technology in Sri Lanka (FITIS) will launch the first ever ‘Sri Lanka Internet Day 2021’ next month.
The two-day virtual event which will be held on April 6-7 in association with the Ministry of Technology and the State Ministry of Education Reforms, Open Universities and Distance Learning Promotion.
The event will have approximately 40 virtual sessions where some important topics will be addressed by leaders and experts of the public and private sectors. The topics will include the digital vision for Sri Lanka; the country’s digital strategy; bridging divides; the foundation of Sri Lanka’s digital economy; connectivity to all and tech startups ecosystem and some sessions will be conducted in Sinhala and Tamil. High-powered panels will moderate discussions and judge interactive competitions for the media, teachers and youth.
An art competition for teachers and youth, a panel discussion for the media on “Fake news in the age of information”, “Women entrepreneurs” and “Women in agriculture”.
All the events will be addressed by industry experts, subject gurus and motivational speakers who will give valuable insights on how the respective groups can benefit from the internet and what digital inclusivity can do for the entire country.
Spearheading the Internet Day 2021 on the theme ‘Digital Inclusion’ are co-chairs President of the FITIS digital chapter and founder CEO of digital app-based mobility company PickMe, Zulfer Jiffry and Country Head, Venture Capital and Private Equity Partnerships at Microsoft India, Lathika Pai, with the support of CEO of FITIS, Aruna Alwis and the project committee.
“Creating an event around the internet is significant for FITIS, as this has become the single most important salvaging factor of the pandemic which impacted all our lives. One of the things that surfaced during this time is that we are not doing enough to bridge the digital divide and be inclusive. It has also become clear that it is not the responsibility of one set of individuals to create opportunity for all, but more of a community effort to build structures that are inclusive to all levels of society,” said Zulfer Jiffry.
FITIS has connected with several key players in the Government, local and international business and tech communities, educators and experts in different fields to conduct workshops, panel discussions and online activities at the two-day virtual event.
CEO of FITIS, Aruna Alwis said, “India’s expertise in the field of technology is trailblazing, and they have made their Internet Day an annual summit which is participated by industry leaders across the world in the past five years. We were very fortunate to have an expert like Lathika Pai, from Microsoft India, come on board as the co-chair of the event. Together with our own experts and the two Co-Chairs Zulfer and Lathika, we are doing some great work to make our first Internet Day a memorable one that will benefit all participants.” Co-Chair Lathika Pai said, “Sri Lanka is at a critical inflexion point in digital adoption. It is important for public and private entities to come together to help accelerate this which will result in compounded growth for Sri Lanka’s economy.”