A Central Unit to manage digital activities in state institutions

With the aim of accelerating the digitalization process within the public sector, the government has taken steps to establish a special team comprising 400 senior public officials. This team, named the "Public-Impact Champions Network" (PIC-Net), will be primarily responsible for leading digital transformation efforts in the public sector.

These officials are to be selected to represent 95 public institutions, including ministries, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), and Provincial Councils, and their primary role will be to properly establish and strengthen the digitalization program across the public sector.

According to a special directive issued by Presidential Secretary N. S. Kumanayake, this network will act as the central force for implementing digitalization activities within public institutions, as a key component of the Digital Economy Plan approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.

With the full support and intervention of the Presidential Secretariat, GovTech Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Digital Economy will coordinate this entire program.

Under this new network, each participating public institution must appoint a team of four special officers to represent its staff. They will be known by the titles Digital Champion, Experience Champion, Process Champion, and Transformation Champion.

The circular issued by the Presidential Secretariat further emphasizes that this team will be collectively responsible for creating service excellence in the public sector suitable for the digital age, utilizing new technology, improving service delivery experiences, and promoting process efficiency and institutional changes through an integrated approach.

It has been made the mandatory responsibility of every department head to nominate between 16 and 20 qualified candidates for the process of selecting future Digital Champions, covering these four roles.

The circular further states that the selected officials will be directed to structured capacity development programs, workshops, and expert consultation processes to develop practical skills in areas such as digital transformation, service redesign, process enhancement, and institutional change management.