Strengthening Digital Governance in Sri Lanka: Towards Horizontal Integration and Institutional Reform in the Public Sector

Abstract

This paper critically examines the role of digital transformation in enhancing governance, efficiency, and transparency within Sri Lanka’s public sector. Despite significant investments in ICT infrastructure and the digitalization of services, public institutions remain fragmented, operating through isolated systems that hinder cross-agency collaboration and citizen-centred service delivery. Drawing on secondary data from global case studies, national policy frameworks, and international benchmarks, the study assesses the institutional, legislative, and technological challenges that impede horizontal digital integration. The analysis reveals that legacy systems, legal ambiguities, weak interoperability standards, and limitations in human capital continue to obstruct the advancement of coordinated digital governance. Institutional reluctance to share data, overlapping mandates, and inadequate enforcement mechanisms further exacerbate fragmentation. Drawing on international models such as Estonia’s X-Road and India’s Aadhaar infrastructure, the paper highlights the urgent need for a Digital Interoperability Act, the establishment of a central digital authority, and the adoption of unified API frameworks. The study concludes that effective digital transformation in Sri Lanka necessitates a multi-pronged approach encompassing legal reform, strategic investment in ICT capacity, strengthened institutional cooperation, and the ethical deployment of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. These reforms are essential to fulfil the current administration’s vision of a responsive, inclusive, and fully integrated digital public sector.