Advancing Digital Transformation (ADB-59280-001)

Regions
  • South Asia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Sri Lanka
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Borrower
Government of Sri Lanka - Ministry of Digital Economy
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Communications
  • Law and Government
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 125.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ ADB website

Updated in EWS Apr 13, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Nov 28, 2025

Contribute Information
Can you contribute information about this project?
Contact the EWS Team

Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the project aims to support the Government of Sri Lanka's (GOSL's) renewed approach to digital economy development, which is one of the three national priorities strongly championed by the new government elected in November 2024. GOSL's National Digital Economy Strategy 2030 provides a forward-looking plan that aligns closely with the country's broader development agenda. The Strategy aims to (i) foster sustainable economic growth and competitiveness through improved infrastructure, connectivity, and the digitalization of key sectors and MSMEs; (ii) create dignified employment opportunities by advancing connected government services, enhancing digital skills and literacy, and supporting industry and job creation; and (iii) prioritize the delivery of safe, trusted, and inclusive digital services, underpinned by secure digital governance, widespread adoption of digital financial services, and robust measures for cybersecurity, safety, and privacy. The Strategy sets ambitious targets to transform Sri Lanka into a globally competitive digital nation by 2030, with the expansion of the digital economy to $15 billion, alongside achieving universal digital literacy and growing the digital workforce to 200,000 skilled professionals. Together, these elements form a cohesive blueprint for inclusive, sustainable, and innovation-driven digital transformation.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

Environment: B
Involuntary Resettlement: C
Indigenous Peoples: C

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

The financing amount is $125,000,000, which will be financed on a loan basis by ADB’s ordinary capital resources.


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

No contacts available at the time of disclosure.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form

ADB has a two-stage appeals process for requesters who believe that ADB has denied their request for information in violation of its Access to Information Policy. You can learn more about filing an appeal at: https://www.adb.org/site/disclosure/appeals

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.

How it works

How it works