FITIS and BCSSL claim APICTA - 2015 in Colombo a resounding success
21 Dec 2015 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards - 2015 held in Colombo was a resounding success, said the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS) and BCS the Chartered Institute for IT Sri Lanka (BCSSL), the joint organizers of this landmark international event in the country.
The Business Forum, Students Forum and related events, which coincided with APICTA – 2015, were also concluded on a very successful note so much so that the grand ceremony earned plaudits and was acclaimed locally and internationally. The national partner for this year’s event was the Information and Communication Technology Agency Sri Lanka (ICTA).
It was a rare honour that amongst all the South Asian nations, Sri Lanka was selected as the first country to host APICTA – 2015. Over the years, this International Contest and Awards ceremony had been held earlier in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, Macao etc.
Around 700 ICT innovators, experts, investors, traders and entrepreneurs from 16 member countries attended the 5 days long APICTA – 2015 events in Colombo. The inauguration was held at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel in Colombo, with Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure, Harin Fernando as the Chief Guest. Stressing that this landmark event has brought honor and put Sri Lanka on the global ICT map, the Minister said that APICTA – 2015 has given a big boost to the country’s ICT industry by contributing significantly towards the development and economic progress of this vital sector. Speaking at the inaugural sessions, Dr. Dileepa De Silva, Chairman, Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA), said that hosting this global ICT event in Colombo has gone a long way to build a positive image of Sri Lanka amongst countries of the Asia Pacific region. Prof. Gihan Wikramanayake, Head of the Panel of Judges of APICTA – 2015 and Chairman of BCS Sri Lanka Section described the hosting of this globally recognized event in Colombo as a “milestone” in the history of ICT in Sri Lanka and would bring many benefits to the industry by way of
business opportunities.
At the APICTA – 2015 International Contest and Awards ceremony, 197 aspirants from 16 countries formed into 17 groups to present their innovations. All entries were evaluated and the winners chosen by an experienced panel of judges drawn from amongst the member countries in line with international
benchmark standards.
Representing the business sector, Sri Lanka clinched two gold awards, two merit awards. In addition, two merit awards were won representing the university students’ segment and another merit award emerged from the school children sector. Minister Harin Fernando distributed awards amongst winners at the glittering event held at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre in Colombo. Parallel to APICTA – 2015, the Business Forum was held over two days with the participation of around 150 local and foreign entrepreneurs. The event was held with the active support of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) and the Sri Lanka Board of Investment (BOI). The Chief Guests were Mrs. Indira Malwatte, Chairperson/CEO of EDB and Mr. Upul Jayasuriya, Chairman, BOI.
Renowned computer science experts, David Chiang of Taiwan, Alex Lin of Singapore, Junko Kawauchi of Japan, Steven Lau of Hong Kong and Fulvio Inserra of Austria made presentations at the Business Forum.
Another salient feature was the one-to-one meetings local and foreign entrepreneurs held to discuss new business opportunities and explore the possibility of entering into productive ICT-related partnerships. It also opened the flank for local entrepreneurs to look for new regional markets and exchange advanced technology.
