(Photo : Official signing of the MOU between the Sri Lankan government and Microsoft Corporation at the US Chamber of Commerce with Minister Milinda Moragoda and Sanjay Mirchandani, President of Asia Pacific Microsoft Corporation, placing their signatures on the document)

The Sri Lankan government and the Microsoft Corporation last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide support for the E-Sri Lanka initiative.  The MOU will provide a multi-million dollar investment from Mircosoft in technology, training, educational assistance and infrastructure support over a five year period.

Microsoft also announced the formation of a local Sri Lanka subsidiary by the end of 2003.  The MOU was signed at a special ceremony in Washington by the Economic Reforms and ICT Minister, Milinda Moragoda, and Sanjay Mirchandani, President, Microsoft Asia Pacific, in the presence of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, and Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Senior Vice-President and General Counsel.

Wickremesinghe hailed the move as a positive step in building thriving information technology economy and said it expected to reap far-reaching benefits for the country.

“We are delighted to have Microsoft help us to take technology to the people of Sri Lanka.  Microsoft’s involvement in the E-Sri Lanka initiative will improve our processes for our citizens’ interaction with government and their interaction within `communities.  Microsoft’s participation also demonstrates the confidence that a world class corporation such as Microsoft has in the economic potential of the country and in the progress that is being made by the private sector”, he said.

“Microsoft is pleased to be signing this MOU with the government of Sri Lanka”, said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.  “The agreement and our ongoing investment underscore our belief in the long-term potential of Sri Lanka and our commitment to its people.  We’re excited about contributing to economic growth through the creation of a vibrant information technology sector in Sri Lanka and the productivity gains, jobs and revenue it can create”.

Besides opening a Sri Lankan subsidiary and headquarters office in the country by the end of this year, Microsoft also announced it would establish a state-of-the-art innovation center in order to show proof of concept and pilot programmes to provide government services directly and more efficiently to more Sri Lankans as a part of the government’s effort to build e-government solutions.

The Innovation Center will also allow local Sri Lankan IT companies to test and refine their own products and industry solutions, bringing them to market more quickly and allowing them to promote their offerings outside the Sri Lanka market, as well.