Developing Jaffna as a knowledge hub:

BOI IT delegates visit Jaffna

An IT sector delegation led by the Board of Investment recently took some important steps in strengthening contacts and facilitating investments to develop Jaffna as a knowledge hub.

The delegation which comprised senior officials from the BOI, the Sri Lanka Association of Software Service Companies (SLASSCOM), the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and CEOs and senior executives from IT/BPO/KPO companies in Colombo concluded a successful IT-related Investment Promotion Mission to Jaffna on June 21 and 22. The objective of the program was to encourage IT companies to start operations in Jaffna by tapping into the peninsula’s educated workforce.

The delegates from Colombo held a series of meetings with senior Government representatives, key educational institutes, students and faculty of the Jaffna University and private sector investors from the North. The main Investment Facilitation Forum, chaired by the Jaffna Government Agent K. Ganesh was held at the Jaffna Kachcheri on June 21, with over 80 participants. During the session, Ganesh emphasized the importance of resurrecting Jaffna’s role as a knowledge hub in the country.

He said that companies from the South should not look at Jaffna simply as a marketplace for their products but contribute to developing the region by creating jobs and opportunities. He thanked the delegation for their visit and said that all local Govt institutions would help to facilitate IT-sector investments in Jaffna. A number of IT and BPO training institutes in the peninsula, including those dedicated to computer and accounting fields held detailed discussions with the visiting IT sector companies.

The delegation also held a discussion forum with the faculty and students of the Jaffna University, chaired by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. N. Shanmugalingam on June 22. Prof. Shanmugalingam commended the delegation for their initiative in developing the knowledge-based sector and creating job opportunities in Jaffna itself. He said despite decades of civil strife, the Jaffna University has sustained high standards of education, producing students with employability levels comparable to Colombo. He said that with proper guidance and assistance from the Government and the private sector, Jaffna can emerge as another Bangalore or a Hyderabad, providing IT services to the world.

The BOI Executive Director (Investment Promotion) Duminda Ariyasinghe, who led the delegation said that key stakeholders in the IT sector were keen to develop Jaffna as a knowledge hub to complement the growth of the sector in Colombo. He said the key agencies responsible for sector growth, the BOI, ICTA and SLASSCOM, worked closely to drive the industry forward by addressing bottlenecks. Ariyasinghe said that the networking and the funding of the Tamil diaspora should be tapped to expand the industry in Jaffna.

Computer Studies Department Head Dr. E.Y.A. Charles, Management Studies and Commerce Faculty Dean, Prof. K. Thevaradjah, SLASSCOM Executive Director, K. Shanika Ratnayaka addressed the forum. A presentation in Tamil about the IT/BPO sector opportunities available to students was made by ICTA Career Fair Committee member S. Muralidharen.

CEOs and senior executives from Colombo-based IT and IT-related companies Navantis, HelloCorp, Quantum/Medsource, MediGain, Eureka, hSenid, Infomate, MMBL Cyberskills/NIIT, PWC, Mafoi and Orion City comprised the delegation from the South. Spectraskills and LK Domain Registry joined the group from Jaffna.

With the laying of the fibre optic core network by Sri Lanka Telecom to Jaffna, the city is connected to the global high speed broadband network. Other carriers such as Dialog Telekom also provide high-speed wireless broadband connectivity.

The meetings in Jaffna were co-ordinated by Senior Deputy Director in charge of BOI’s office in Jaffna Anton Jeyamanon and BOI head office Senior Deputy Director A.W.M. Faizal.