What is the ICRAT?
This initiative forms part of Transparency International's broader regional effort to combat corruption across the Indo-Pacific, grounded in the belief that meaningful change requires empowering strong, locally driven and collaborative movements advocating for greater transparency and accountability in both public and private institutions.
Sri Lanka's infrastructure landscape
In recent decades, Sri Lanka has undertaken large-scale infrastructure projects such as ports, expressways, airports, and energy projects, intended to boost development and regional connectivity. However, many of these projects have been marred by:
- Allegations of corruption and mismanagement, including inflated costs and opaque tender processes
- Lack of public consultation and oversight during project identification and selection
- Unsustainable debt burdens, often linked to projects with questionable long-term utility ("white elephants")
- Geopolitical influence from bilateral donors shaping infrastructure priorities without adequate transparency.
This environment creates fertile ground for corruption and poor governance, undermining public trust, financial sustainability, and development outcomes.
Infrastructure governance and Sri Lanka's economic crisis
Sri Lanka's ongoing economic crisis has laid bare the consequences of poor infrastructure governance, with several high-profile projects, riddled with allegations of corruption, political favouritism, and unsustainable financing - contributing to the country's debt distress. Strengthening transparency and accountability in how infrastructure projects are selected and prioritised is therefore essential not only to prevent future governance failures, but also to support long-term economic recovery and restore public trust.
Why the ICRAT tool matters in Sri Lanka
The ICRAT comes at a critical time for Sri Lanka, where public spending and governance decisions are under intense scrutiny due to fiscal pressures and International Monetary Fund (IMF) supported reforms.
ICRAT helps to address a critical blind spot: the corruption risks that emerge before procurement - at the stage of project identification, justification, and prioritisation. These early decisions often determine whether a project serves the public interest or entrenches rent-seeking.
Key gaps the tool can help address in Sri Lanka:
- Historically evident political influence and lack of transparency in prioritizing infrastructure projects
- Weak legal safeguards to prevent conflict of interest and ensure merit-based selection
- Insufficient civil society and citizen oversight at the earliest decision-making stages
- Over-reliance on unsolicited proposals and opaque foreign lending arrangements
- Limited institutional capacity for corruption risk analysis in project planning
- Lack of public consultation and oversight during project identification and selection
- Unsustainable debt burdens, often linked to projects with questionable long-term utility ("white elephants")
- Geopolitical influence from bilateral donors shaping infrastructure priorities without adequate transparency.
This environment creates fertile ground for corruption and poor governance, undermining public trust, financial sustainability, and development outcomes.
Local engagement and next steps
ICRAT can be embedded into TISL's broader anti-corruption and public finance accountability agenda, complementing work on:
- Public procurement reform and monitoring
- Debt transparency and accountability mechanisms
- Citizen engagement and oversight in infrastructure and budgeting
The ICRAT rollout will involve:
- Engagement with public officials, planners, and oversight institutions
- Collaboration with community and civil society networks to localise the tool
- Generating case-based insights to inform broader governance reforms
- Aligning with international partners including Tl Australia, DFAT, MFAT, and the Tl Indo-Pacific Partnership.