CSSL conducts National IT Conference 2021, defying the pandemic

Minister Namal Rajapaksa

Ministry of Technology Secretary Jayantha De Silva

ICTA Chairman and TRCSL Director General Oshada Senanayake

Facebook Director Policy Programs and Government Outreach Beth Ann Lim

CSSL President Damith Hettihewa

NITC 2021 Conference Chair Rasantha Hettithanthrige

The 39th Edition of Sri Lanka’s flagship ICT conference National Information Technology Conference (NITC) 2021 was successfully conducted as a hybrid conference on 12-13 October with Minister of Youth, Sports & Development Co-ordination and Monitoring, State Minister of Digital Technology & Enterprise Development Namal Rajapaksa attending the occasion as the Chief Guest. 

Minister Rajapaksa also gave away prestigious CSSL National ICT Awards to ICT professionals recognising their unique and outstanding contributions to the ICT industry and the nation.

Rajapaksa said: “Your conference theme ‘Accelerate Technology Diffusion’ is timely and in line with the Government’s vision. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policy statement ‘Vistas for Prosperity and Splendour’ places high priority on technology. ‘Creating a technology based society’ is amongst the top 10 policy priorities.”

Ministry of Technology Secretary Jayantha De Silva was the Guest of Honour and the Keynote Speaker at the inauguration of the largest annual gathering of ICT practitioners.

The National Information Technology Conference (NITC) 2021 with the theme ‘Accelerate Technology Diffusion’ organised by the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) was held with a resounding success defying the pandemic on a hybrid (online and physical mix) format. 

The Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker appreciated the CSSL initiative and dedication to conduct the conference in magnificent style even during the pandemic. De Silva outlined the policy, programs and projects roadmap of the Government creating clarity so that ICT professionals could become active stakeholders of the country digitalisation process.

At the CSSL National ICT Awards Chief Guest Minister Rajapaksa recognised the founder and CEO of CodeGen International Dr. Harsha Subasinghe as the ‘CSSL ICT Leader of the Year’ for his significant contributions to the ICT industry in Sri Lanka. 11 other eminent ICT personalities under 11 diverse categories were recognised at the CSSL National ICT Awards held as a part of NITC 2021 conference.

CSSL President Damith Hettihewa welcomed the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour, CSSL award winners, invitees and delegates at the conference which featured two panel discussions, 30 local and international speakers, five research paper presentations, three product presentations and startup pitches to investors. 

ICTA Chairman and TRCSL Director General Oshada Senanayake and SLTMobitel Group CEO Lalith Seneviratne representing the Platinum Sponsor of NITC 2021 also addressed the NITC 2021 inauguration ceremony. 

Facebook Director Policy Programs and Government Outreach Beth Ann Lim delivered the Day 1 morning keynote address right after the inauguration ceremony. NITC 2021 Conference Chair Rasantha Hettithanthrige thanked all who contributed to conduct this year’s conference on a grand scale defying the challenges of the pandemic. 

NITC 2021 was supported by the Ministry of Technology, Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka as the National Partner. SLTMobitel for the second year running was the Main Sponsor of the CSSL Annual Conference and partnered as the Platinum Sponsor of NITC 2021. 

Huawei was the Gold Sponsor of NITC for the second time. Axiata Digital Labs was the Silver Sponsor for the second time as well. Facebook partnered with CSSL for the 2nd CSSL Colloquium at NITC 2021. Daily FT of Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. was the Print Media Sponsor and Independent Television Network (ITN) was the Electronics Media Partner of the flagship IT conference of the country. FineTech was the Virtual Platform Provider. IFIP, SEARCC and FITIS were Industry Partners, Garvi Design Studio was the Creative Partner and Prime Events was the Events Partner of the conference.