Together with critical stakeholders, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently addressed the need for Sri Lanka to deliver a national digital identity initiative as a key driver for its economy and prosperity.
Underpinning digital transformation across public and private sectors, digital ID is now imperative for most modern governments and striven for to serve citizens. Concerned voices calling for fast-track treatment of digital ID include from the Sri Lanka Association For Software Services Company members and the Ceylon Chamber.
Moreover, IT providers whose technologies are being embraced and acquired in the private sector are therefore putting pressure on the government over repeated delays to implement a national identity system. Many countries with a digital identity include Pakistan, which uses a Smart National Identity Card, the Republic of Korea and Singapore, which harness existing physical identity infrastructure, and Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa – which have fulfilled biometric identity programmes.
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon is considered a head runner within the private sector for adopting pace and urgency with converting customers to digital banking and using identity verification.
What is transferable from securing end-to-end customer journeys within banking, to the government, is a completely user focused service that is enabled by the individual themselves through personal onboarding.
And the same strategic digital roadmaps need to be cultivated by the Ceylon government showing leadership to achieve seamless digital ecosystems. This should encompass digital identity, public IT and data infrastructure, digital payments and broadband.
Digital identity integration could not only bring efficiencies and compliance for digital services aimed at citizens but ensure federated government functionality to minimise tax and other outgoing leakage.
Indika de Zoysa, Chairman, FITIS state said: “The Digital ID is the baseline for all digital transformation in the country, encompassing both government and the private sector”.
