Chanaki Mallikarachchi, Director of ICT, Ministry of Digital Economy, Sri Lanka

1) How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive?

As the Director ICT at the Ministry of Digital Economy, I ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive through several key approaches:

1. Embedding Inclusivity in Digital Policy Design: I advocate for “inclusion by design” in all digital policies and frameworks developed under the Ministry. This means that accessibility, gender equity, regional diversity and affordability are not afterthoughts but foundational principles in every ICT initiative from the National Digital Economy Blueprint to the National AI Strategy.

2. Bridging the Urban–Rural Digital Divide: We work to ensure that citizens in rural and underserved areas are not left behind. Through initiatives such as Digital Village Centers, AI literacy programs, and digital infrastructure expansion projects (like LGC 2+, eLand, and SLUDI), we aim to make digital services accessible to every citizen, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status.

3. Empowering Women and Youth in Technology: I actively collaborate with partners like Women in Tech Sri Lanka, ICTA, and education ministries to promote STEM education, digital-skills training, and mentorship programs for women and young innovators. We aim to create an ecosystem where women not only use technology but lead its creation and governance.

4. Ensuring Policy–Technology Alignment: My role bridges the gap between technical implementation and policy formulation. I work closely with regulatory bodies such as TRCSL, SLCERT, and PDPA Office to ensure that digital policies especially those on AI ethics, cybersecurity, and data protection reflect local realities and uphold fairness, accountability, and transparency.

5. Promoting Accessibility and Universal Design Standards: Inclusivity extends to persons with disabilities and marginalised groups. We integrate WCAG 2.2 standards, promote multilingual interfaces (Sinhala, Tamil, English), and design citizen platforms like ManKiwwa and eForms to be usable by all.

6. Championing Data-Driven, People-Centric Governance: By promoting digital public infrastructure (DPI) and AI-driven decision systems that are transparent and accountable, I ensure that technology empowers citizens rather than excludes them. Our governance approach is guided by fairness, explainability, and participatory feedback.

7. Creating Partnerships for Inclusive Growth: I prioritise international and multi-stakeholder collaborations with entities like World Bank, ADB, UNDP, AI Singapore, and Japan’s Digital Agency to bring global best practices in inclusive innovation while adapting them to Sri Lanka’s unique socio-cultural context.

2) What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

One moment that deeply moved me was during the early rollout of the ManKiwwa Public Grievance Management System.

We had designed it as part of the government’s effort to make public service delivery more transparent and responsive allowing citizens to submit complaints online and receive real-time updates without having to travel or go through layers of bureaucracy.

A few weeks after its launch, I visited a Divisional Secretariat in a rural area. An elderly woman approached me and said, “For the first time, I didn’t have to take a bus to Colombo or stand in queues to get my issue heard. I sent my complaint through my phone, and they called me back the next day.”

It was a simple statement but profoundly powerful.

That moment reminded me that digital transformation isn’t about systems or dashboards; it’s about dignity and trust. Technology, when designed with empathy and inclusion, can restore a citizen’s faith in public service.

That experience reinforced my commitment to ensuring every digital initiative under the Ministry whether it’s SLUDI (Digital ID), eLand, or AI-driven citizen services is designed not just for efficiency, but for impact on people’s daily lives.

3) What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?

The most impactful project I worked on this year was the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) integration initiative, which connected key national systems such as SLUDI (Digital ID), GovPay, eLand, and ManKiwwa under the Ministry’s Digital Economy Blueprint.

Our goal was to move beyond isolated e-services and build a trusted, interoperable  digital ecosystem one where citizens can securely access multiple public services with a single digital identity.

We measured success not only through technical metrics but through trust and user 
satisfaction:

• Over 2.3 million citizens interacted with DPI-linked platforms this year.
• Processing times for key services (such as certificate requests and complaint resolution) dropped by more than 40%.
• Citizen feedback surveys showed a significant increase in satisfaction — especially in the areas of transparency, response time, and accessibility.
• Most importantly, trust indicators improved: citizens reported feeling more confident sharing data and using digital channels for public services, reflecting growing belief in the government’s digital platforms.

What made this project special was how it combined policy and technology to humanise digital governance embedding privacy, accessibility, and accountability at 
the core of every transaction.

Ultimately, success for me wasn’t just about numbers; it was about seeing citizens use these platforms with confidence knowing their data is protected, their voices are heard, and their government is responsive.

That’s when technology truly earns public trust.

4) What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people? This can be about a specific project or a broader lesson about your work.

One unexpected lesson I learned this year was that designing for people means designing with people especially those who aren’t always digitally visible.

During the pilot of the Citizen Mobile Application and ManKiwwa enhancements, we initially focused on efficiency and automation faster processing, smarter workflows, better dashboards.

But when we conducted field visits and community feedback sessions, many citizens, especially in rural and estate areas, told us something profound: They didn’t just want faster technology they wanted to feel seen and understood.

Some users struggled not because of a lack of digital literacy, but because the language,  icons, and tone didn’t reflect their everyday experiences.

A farmer in Monaragala once said, “The app is good, but I don’t understand what it’s asking me to do.” That conversation completely changed our approach.

We started integrating human-centered design co-creating with citizens, testing in local languages, and simplifying digital journeys so that even first-time users felt confident.

The lesson was clear: “Technology succeeds when people stop feeling like they’re adapting to a system and start feeling like the system understands them.”

Since then, every project under the Ministry from SLUDI to AI-ready education initiatives now includes an empathy-driven design review phase before deployment.

5) We hear a lot about AI. What's a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

AI is often seen as something futuristic, but in government, its real power lies in solving everyday problems and doing so fairly.

A practical example is how we’re exploring AI-assisted citizen service management within platforms like and future Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiatives.

ManKiwwa
By using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning, AI can:

• Translate citizen complaints submitted in Sinhala, Tamil, or English instantly ensuring language is never a barrier to being heard.
• Automatically categorise and prioritise issues (like water supply, education, or land) so responses reach the right agency faster.
• Detect repeated or unresolved cases, helping ministries identify systemic issues instead of reacting to individual problems.

This not only makes public service delivery faster and more accessible, but it also builds trust because citizens can see transparency and fairness in how their concerns are handled.

We’re also developing frameworks under the National AI Strategy to ensure these systems are ethical, explainable, and accountable, meaning every AI decision can be traced and justified.

When citizens understand why a decision was made, AI stops being a black box and becomes a partner in trust.

So for me, inclusivity through AI isn’t about automation it’s about amplifying human understanding at scale.

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6) How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?

The next wave of change in the public sector will be defined by trust, interoperability, and intelligence and I’m preparing for it by focusing on how emerging technologies like AI, digital identity, and data governance can come together to serve citizens seamlessly.

Our ministry is moving toward a next-generation Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI 3.0) framework one that connects identity, payments, data exchange, and service delivery with built-in privacy and ethics.

I’m particularly excited about exploring Responsible AI using explainable algorithms and predictive analytics to anticipate citizen needs while maintaining fairness and transparency.

Personally, I’m investing in AI governance and data ethics expertise because I believe the next frontier of leadership isn’t just technical, it’s ethical.

We need public-sector leaders who can translate complex technologies into human-centered policies that build confidence, not fear.

I’m also encouraging my teams to embrace agile government practices rapid prototyping, cross-sector collaboration, and design thinking so that our institutions can evolve as quickly as the technologies we deploy.

Ultimately, what excites me most about the coming year is seeing AI and data work hand-in-hand with empathy where algorithms don’t just make systems smarter, but societies fairer.

7) What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

My advice would be simple, lead with purpose, not technology.

In the public sector, innovation isn’t just about apps, systems, or AI it’s about people. Every digital solution you design should begin with a single question: “Who am I serving, and how will this make their life better?”

To build a meaningful career in public-sector innovation, you need three things:

1. Empathy: Spend time in the field. Talk to the citizens who use your systems. Understand their frustrations before you design their solutions. Real innovation starts from listening, not coding.

2. Integrity: You’ll face complex systems, politics, and resource challenges but your integrity is what builds public trust. Technology can automate processes, but only ethics can sustain transformation.

3. Curiosity and Courage: The public sector needs people who aren’t afraid to question “how we’ve always done it.” Be the person who connects policy with innovation, bureaucracy with creativity, and ambition with inclusion.

And finally remember that digital transformation is a human story. The systems we build today will shape how citizens experience government for generations. If we do it right, we’re not just building technology we’re building trust.

8) Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?

I’m inspired every day by the people we serve especially those who rarely have a voice in shaping technology.

When I see a villager using a government e-service for the first time, or a young woman from a rural school learning coding through an AI literacy program, I’m reminded why inclusion matters.

But if I were to name the deeper source of inspiration it comes from the women who build quietly, lead courageously, and believe change is possible even within complex systems.

From public servants who work behind the scenes to modernise old processes, to teachers introducing digital tools in classrooms, to young innovators proving that leadership and empathy can coexist they all remind me that transformation is not driven by titles, but by conviction.

Their stories push me to make the public sector not just digitally advanced, but morally grounded where technology reflects compassion, not hierarchy.

Ultimately, I’m inspired by the idea that trust is built person by person and that the work we do today can make government something people believe in again.

9) If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be?

If I had an unlimited budget, my dream project would be to build “One Digital Sri Lanka", a unified, inclusive digital ecosystem that connects every citizen, service, and opportunity through trusted, intelligent public infrastructure.

It would combine everything we’ve been working toward a single digital identity, interoperable government systems, and AI-driven public services but built around one principle: No citizen left behind.

Imagine a Sri Lanka where:

• Every person, from a farmer in Monaragala to a student in Jaffna, can access government services in their own language with one secure digital ID.
• AI systems proactively help citizens reminding them about benefits, grants, or education programs they qualify for.
• Data flows securely between ministries through a national interoperability platform, reducing paperwork, corruption, and inefficiency.
• And most importantly, trust becomes our digital currency with privacy, ethics, and transparency embedded into every algorithm and transaction.

We’d invest heavily in AI literacy, women in STEAM, and digital inclusion labs, 
ensuring innovation reaches schools, communities, and rural entrepreneurs not just cities.

For me, the dream isn’t about technology for its own sake; it’s about digital dignity creating a country where every citizen feels seen, connected, and empowered.

10) Outside tech, what excites you the most?

Outside of technology, what excites me most is building people not systems.

Whether it’s mentoring young women in STEM, volunteering with student clubs, or simply having conversations that spark someone’s confidence, I find real joy in seeing others discover their potential.

I also love tennis, it teaches discipline, strategy, and resilience, the same traits that help in leadership. On the court, just like in policy, you learn to anticipate, adapt, and stay composed no matter how tough the game gets.

And beyond all that, I’m inspired by creativity and storytelling from designing ideas on paper to imagining the future of Sri Lanka’s digital society. 

For me, creativity is the bridge between logic and emotion it reminds me that innovation isn’t just about systems; it’s about imagination.

So, outside tech, what truly excites me is people, purpose, and possibility everything that reminds us why we build technology in the first place