Sri Lanka Digital Transformation (WB-P508317)

Countries
  • Sri Lanka
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • World Bank (WB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
C
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."
Voting Date
Dec 19, 2025
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
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)
$ 50.00 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.
Loan Amount (USD)
$ 50.00 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.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ WB website

Updated in EWS Oct 6, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Jun 19, 2025

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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 approved project aims to accelerate the digitalization of public services and create efficiencies through shared digital platforms that can be leveraged across sectors and boost the digital startup ecosystem and international opportunities for IT firms. The project is designed around two components: 1. Digital Government and Services This component aims to digitalize public service delivery, making it more accessible and efficient. It will support the development of an online government service delivery portal that brings together services from across sectors, setting up a national data exchange for seamless data sharing among government entities, and expanding cloud-based government data hosting. These investments will be complemented by targeted capacity-building programs to boost digital adoption among people and government officials. Support for citizens will focus on enhancing basic digital literacy and adoption of digital services among underserved groups, including women, youth, and the elderly. To achieve this, the project will support the development and delivery of digital literacy training, the setup of citizen service desks across select underserved communities, and the rollout of an information, communications, and education campaign. In addition, the component will support the operationalization of empowered digital institutions and the development and implementation of the necessary policy frameworks to accelerate digital transformation. 2. Digital Startup Ecosystem and Industry DevelopmentThis component will create a robust enabling environment for digital entrepreneurship and for the continued growth of Sri Lanka’s IT sector. It will support the formulation of a comprehensive IT industry development strategy to promote IT exports, growth, and job creation in the digital sector. The project will also provide acceleration support for digital startups and strengthen the capacity of existing startup incubators and tech hubs. The participation of female entrepreneurs will be supported through targeted outreach and a dedicated track for women-led (and co-led) startups. In addition, the project will deliver market access support for mid-sized IT services and tech firms, including targeted export promotion initiatives, to competitively position Sri Lankan firms and facilitate new business opportunities across two to three priority markets. This component will be implemented in close coordination with the industry and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). 

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.

Environmental and Social Risk: L

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

Total Project Cost: US$ 0.00 million

Commitment Amount: US$ 50.00 million 

Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

 

GovTech delivers foundational digital infrastructure, platforms and services that shape Sri Lanka's digital future. By making public services simpler, faster, and more accessible for every citizen, unlocking new growth for businesses, and elevating the capabilities of people and institutions, we are actively engineering a digitally empowered and inclusive society. 

Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
- - - - GovTech Sri Lanka (Private) Limited Client Communications

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.

Task Team Leader: Anna Zita Metz 

Title: Senior Digital Specialist 

Email: ametz@worldbank.org 

TTL Contact: Ida S Mboob 

Title: Senior Digital Specialist 

Email: imboob@worldbank.org 

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint

How it works

How it works