15 Officers from Sri Lanka's Presidential Secretariat Complete AI Governance Training in Korea

Fifteen Action Plans Developed through KOICA Training

Three-Year Collaboration Continues through 2028

On the 21st, trainees from the Office of the President of Sri Lanka, who completed their closing ceremony, are taking a commemorative photo with officials at the Seongnam KOICA International Cooperation Training Center.

Fifteen officers from the Development Division of the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka recently completed a training course in Korea aimed at strengthening their capabilities in the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The goal of this training was to expand civic participation and enhance governance capabilities in Sri Lanka using AI technologies.

This invitational training program, supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and conducted by the Industry-Academia Cooperation Foundation of Soongsil Cyber University, took place over 14 days from August 9 to August 22. Trainees received certificates of completion on August 21 at the KOICA International Cooperation Training Center (ICC) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

The official title of the project is "AI-Based Civic Participation and Governance Strengthening through Capacity Building for Officers of the Development Division, Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka (2026–2028)." In line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.6.2, the project aims to promote responsive, inclusive, and participatory decision-making at the local level in Sri Lanka. It will run for three years, from this year through 2028.

This year's phase, the first out of three, focused on providing foundational concepts in AI, data, and governance, diagnosing the current situation, and developing practical action plans (APs) for real-world application.

Trainees participated in intensive lectures and hands-on workshops to develop their action plans. They also visited four institutions in Seoul—Seoul City Hall, Seoul Transport Information Center, Seoul Future Lab, and Seoul AI Smart City Center—to study local case examples of AI- and data-driven public administration and civic engagement in Korea.

Reflecting on the training at the closing ceremony, Professor Shin Jonghong of Soongsil Cyber University, who managed the program, stated, "This is not merely an assignment. This is a commitment to the 21.76 million people of Sri Lanka."

During the program, participants presented a total of 15 action plans. Among them, two teams proposed project initiatives with a combined estimated value of 20 million dollars.

"Team Tour" designed the "Kale Para" Ecotourism Hub Initiative, which links the conservation and restoration of southwestern Sri Lanka's tropical rainforests—including the Sinharaja Forest Reserve—with community-based ecotourism and the creation of green jobs.

"Team Beautiful" proposed an integrated AI-based digital waste management and civic feedback platform for Colombo City Hall, envisioning a system that combines smart collection routes, real-time monitoring, and a digital public services platform to serve residents of all 47 districts of Colombo. The combined proposed initiatives from these two action plans total approximately 20 million dollars.

Professor Shinhong Shin of Soongsil Cyber University (left) is presenting a certificate to Daluwathu Mulla Gamage Mekala Dilanthi, the representative trainee of the Sri Lankan President's Secretariat, at the closing ceremony on the 21st.

On this day, all 15 trainees were awarded individual certificates of completion. Each certificate, signed by President Han Heonsu of Soongsil Cyber University, officially recognized their successful participation in the training program from August 9 to 22. Following the closing ceremony, participants visited KOICA headquarters, marking the conclusion of their two-week training program.

This year's first phase of the project will not end with the training; it will continue with the second and third phases in the years ahead.

In the second year, 2027, a pilot project will be launched to develop citizen participation strategies and feedback systems tailored to local conditions in Sri Lanka. In the third year, 2028, the plan is to develop a roadmap for institutionalizing AI governance by incorporating advanced AI algorithms and predictive analytics.

Professor Shin emphasized, "We will continue to monitor the progress of your action plans. We remain connected, and whenever you need us, we will be here," underscoring that this year's training marks the starting point for ongoing cooperation over the next three years.

Successful capacity-building programs such as this are expected to serve as a meaningful bridge, not only as official development assistance (ODA), but also by paving the way for Korean AI service providers and IT solution companies to enter the public sector markets of South Asia.

KOICA and the Industry-Academia Cooperation Foundation of Soongsil Cyber University plan to use the action plans developed during this training as the basis for linking AI-based governance policies and internal guidelines at the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat. They will also continue with follow-up projects to support trainees in planning, designing, and operating AI- and data-driven civic engagement and feedback systems.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.