Sri Lanka targets US$5 Billion in digital exports by 2030
Sri Lanka has reviewed a strategic roadmap aimed at increasing digital export revenue to US$5 billion by 2030 and strengthening the country’s position in the global digital economy.
A national workshop titled “The Road to US$5 Billion” was held yesterday (July 31) at Cinnamon Life in Colombo to examine the roadmap and build agreement among industry stakeholders on how it should be implemented.
The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Digital Economy and GovTech Sri Lanka, with technical assistance from the World Bank Group.
Opening remarks were delivered by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, Senior Presidential Adviser on Digital Economy and Chairman of GovTech Sri Lanka Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, and International Finance Corporation Lead Industry Specialist Victor Antonypillai.
The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group.
An assessment report on Sri Lanka’s information technology industry and the proposed strategic roadmap were presented at the workshop.
The report was prepared by local and international consultants from KPMG with technical support from the World Bank Group.
The roadmap was further developed with contributions from the Ministry of Digital Economy, GovTech Sri Lanka and the Industry Development Committee. It was presented to representatives of the digital industry for their review and feedback.
Several group discussions were held on key areas, including developing human capital and future-ready skills, strengthening innovation, supporting independent professionals, expanding access to global markets and increasing exports.
Participants also discussed the policies, investments and infrastructure needed to ensure the sustainable growth of the digital industry.
The discussions reviewed the findings and recommendations of the assessment report and identified existing gaps, new proposals, implementation priorities and the responsibilities of relevant institutions.
Attention was also given to setting progress indicators and identifying the practical contributions required from government agencies, businesses and other stakeholders.
The workshop examined ways to improve Sri Lanka’s position in the global digital market and discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on business models and employment roles in the sector.
Participants also focused on developing high-value exports based on intellectual property and digital products, while creating opportunities to introduce locally developed innovations to international markets.
The strategic roadmap is expected to provide an evidence-based framework to improve the global competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s digital industry.
It is also expected to create more quality employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, help local digital products and services enter global markets and position Sri Lanka as a leading digital economy in the region.
The roadmap will be further improved by including the recommendations and views presented during the workshop.
The next phase will involve preparing an integrated action plan that clearly identifies priority measures, responsible institutions, implementation timelines and indicators to measure progress.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri and Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala.
Representatives of leading information technology and digital service companies, industry and professional associations, innovative entrepreneurs, start-ups, investors, independent professionals, universities, research institutions and government agencies also attended.
Sri Lankan professionals based overseas, international development partners and other industry stakeholders were also present.
