An Electronic Commerce Initiative in Regional Sri Lanka: The Vision for the Central Province Electronic Commerce Portal

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from the first stage of a preliminary study which assessed the potential for an electronic commerce portal in Sri Lanka's Central Province. Sri Lanka is an island state of contrasts in terms of its electronic commerce and overall ICT capability. In the Capital of Colombo, ICT and electronic commerce capability are relatively sophisticated while in regional Sri Lanka even the most basic ICT infrastructure is almost non-existent and/or non-reliable. The proposed electronic commerce portal in Central Province is well aligned with the key strategic objectives of the E-Sri Lanka Initiative. The portal will be a resource enabler and facilitator for the adoption of electronic commerce by SMEs and MEs. It is also envisaged that the portal will facilitate the development of regional ICT capability as well as providing significant benefits to general community. This paper concludes with an outline of the infrastructure and implementation plan for the proposed electronic commerce portal in Central Province.