Telco Ministry to launch Incubator Programme for start-ups
In a bid to give a fillip to entrepreneurship and foster local start-ups, the Ministry of Telecommunication will launch its ‘Incubator Programme’ next January, Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Harin Fernando says.
“We secured a building at 5th Lane in Colpetty and plan to house 20 to 30 start-ups for a year free of charge,” he told the Business Times on the sidelines of the launch of Huawei’s global CSR programme “Seeds for the Future” following its successful venture into Sri Lanka last year.
Commenting on Huawei’s approach with their CSR programme for the second year running. Mr. Fernando noted that this initiative is another contribution to the ICT industry in Sri Lanka done by Huawei.
Seeds for the Future programme takes 10 students to China and Huawei hopes this trip will enhance students’ abilities to adapt to the ICT industry as they learn more about state-of-the-art technologies and skill. The aim of the programme is to support local ICT talent by presenting them with full sponsorship from Huawei where 10 selected Sri Lankan students from universities will get the chance to visit China on an ICT and Chinese culture influenced study trip and that they’ll be able to identify the innovation needs of Sri Lankan market. “We appreciate Huawei’s contribution for this great programme which benefits local communities, universities, students, and Sri Lankan ICT industry,” Mr. Fernando said noting that with all such programmes the local youth has the potential to rock the region with technology.
The study trip is scheduled to take place next week for two weeks, from November 4 to 18 and will allow the students to experience China’s traditional culture and engage in Chinese calligraphy and painting at the Beijing Language and Culture University during the first week in Beijing. The students will also have opportunities to study cutting-edge ICT technologies such as 5G, cloud computing and have hands-on practice at Huawei Headquarters’ most advanced labs located in Shenzhen, the Silicon Valley of China.
Adding his insight into the importance of such a programme me for a country such as Sri Lanka, the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Yi Xianliang speaking at the event noted that capacity building in Sri Lanka is China’s priority.
Last year China’s assistance was Yuan 1.5 billion, he said noting that next year Yuan 2 billion will be donated.
At the launch of the CSR programme for the second time in Sri Lanka, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Sri Lanka, Shuni Wang said, “ICT has become crucial growth engine for many different industries. As a global ICT leader, Huawei is committed to promoting ICT industry development in the countries it operates, and aims to drive long-term economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This year, we sponsor another 10 university students to develop local ICT talent and enhance knowledge transfer.”