A First Integrated Transformation Project: e-Sri Lanka

This chapter describes in some depth a team’s efforts to get the Bank to approve financial and technical assistance to a comprehensive e-Sri Lanka program, the Bank’s first holistic digital transformation investment program. It was a pioneering program that faced many institutional hurdles at the Bank and client country. Bank’s rigidities slowed down the mainstreaming of this innovation into digital development assistance. Many lessons were drawn during formulation and implementation of the program over 10 years.