COLOMBO – Sri Lanka has begun work on a tech park in Galle in the southern part of the country, the first in a series of five, to attract foreign investments and transform certain areas as a global tech hub, local media reported here Friday.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inspected the site of the tech park on Thursday and unveiled the project plaque, a statement from his office was quoted as saying. The president also launched the official logo of the Galle technology park.

According to the President’s Office, the government plans to build five technology parks nationwide with the aim of establishing Sri Lanka as a hub for technological innovation, attracting foreign investments, encouraging new companies with advanced technology, promoting export-oriented industries, and creating new jobs.

The other four technology parks will be located in Kurunegala, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Habarana. The tech park being constructed in Galle will be on a 30-acre site and be completed by 2023. It will have 350,000 square feet for tech companies with 5G telecom facilities.