Director General | Mr.W.A. Samantha Upananda

Director General, Department of Department of State Accounts, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

Mr. W.A. Samantha Upananda

Mr. W.A. Samantha Upananda is a Special Grade officer of the Sri Lanka Accountants’ Service and he is a dynamic and results-driven Public Financial Management Professional with over 30 years of comprehensive experience on public financial management, public budgetary system, and financial reporting in the public sector. Proven expertise in implementing IT solutions and managing financial operations within government organizations.

Currently he serves as the Director General of the Department of State Accounts (DSA) at the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development, Sri Lanka. As a Director General of the Department of State Accounts he is oversees and manages the financial operations of the department, ensuring compliance with government regulations and policies, provides strategic guidance and support to government entities in public financial management, maintains and manages a sound Public Financial Management Information System for the Government, ensures provision of real-time and accurate Public Financial Management Information for decision making, oversees the preparation and presentation of annual Financial Statements of the Government of Sri Lanka, develop and adopt new public sector accounting standards for preparation and publication of annual Financial Statements, leads the development and implementation of a new payroll system for all government.

Simultaneously, he is the Project Director of the Integrated Treasury Management Information System (ITMIS) which is implemented under the DSA and he leads the development and implementation of the ITMIS to optimize financial processes, committed to enhancing financial accountability and transparency through innovative technologies and diligent.

After joining to Sri Lanka Accountants’ Service in 1992, he holds various positions in key government organizations including the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka, the Parliament of Sri Lanka and he collaborated with various stakeholders to enhance financial systems and processes in the public sector.

Mr. Samantha Upananda holds a Master of Science in Information Technology and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Special) in Management from University of Sri Jayawardenapura in Sri Lanka. Additionally, he has completed Post Graduate Diploma in Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Information Technology. Furthermore, he is Member of the Chartered Public Finance Accountants (CPFA), Institute of Public Finance and Accounts, UK, Fellow Member of the Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCMA) and Fellow Member of the Institute of Public Finance & Development Accountants (FPFA).