High-speed internet for rural areas must be prioritized to ensure the establishment and advancement of industries across the country, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said a short while ago.

 The President asserted that for Sri Lanka to be digitally inclusive, relevant stakeholders must look to address the internet speed issue, especially in rural areas, which stands a bottleneck for the economic progression of the country.

“Unless high-speed internet is made available to people, we would not be able to make substantial improvement in their day-to-day life.

This is true in the case of Investors as well for them to look at Sri Lanka is an attractive destination. High-speed internet is a key requirement,” President told Sri Lanka Internet Day virtual forum this morning delivering the keynote address.

He stressed that having high-speed internet in rural areas will offer more and lucrative opportunities for investors to help uplift rural areas so that industries can be established.

While more needs to be done, President Rajapaksa acknowledged that the ongoing collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders provide the nation with much hope.