Sri Lanka's Apex Organisation for Export Promotion
The 23rd Presidential Export Award Ceremony (PEA) organized by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) was successfully held on 19th September 2019 under the patronage of His Excellency the President of Sri Lnaka at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Colombo with the participation of the large number of exporters. The award winners were presented a prestigious PEA Trophy and a Certificate & they have the privilege to use the “Award Logo” as a marketing tool for a 3 year period.
The 23rd Presidential Export Award Ceremony organized by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) will be held on Thursday 19th September 2019 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) under the patronage of His Excellency the President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
2019-09-05/ http://www.ft.lk/it-telecom-tech/Disrupt-Asia-2019-returns-with-new-focus-on-augmented-living/50-685186
Themed ‘Augmented Living,’ the Disrupt Asia 2019 conference organised by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), is to be held on 12 October, creating a platform for startups to exhibit their innovations on a global scale.
2019-09-03/ http://www.ft.lk/it-telecom-tech/FITIS-to-host-API-Asia-Conference-2019-in-October/50-685038
Colombo will host the API Asia Conference 2019 for the first time in October, in an effort to help transform the ICT industry, and also fast track efforts in ensuring a digitally savvy Sri Lanka. The conference will be held on 2 October at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo and is organised by the apex body of the ICT industry, Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS).
Sri Lanka’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai is set in a spectacular manner to ensure the strengthening of the country’s trade, tourism, and investments. The Sri Lanka Export Development Board plays a critical role, together with private and state organisations, to landmark Sri Lanka’s presence at this global event.
The Export Development Board (EDB), Ministry of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology, ICTA together organized an interactive awareness session on August 19 with the objective of leveraging the experiences of the companies who have successfully embarked in the Japanese market and encourage more companies to start business rapport with Japan.
2019-09-01/ http://www.ft.lk/it-telecom-tech/Wide-ranging-benefits-for-IT-BPM-sector-professionals-through-SLASSCOM-Privilege-Loyalty-Program/50-685429
The Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) is partnering with CH17, the specialists in corporate loyalty management services to introduce an exclusive Privilege Card for professionals engaged in the IT/BPM industry.
The Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS), the apex body of the ICT industry, will host INFOTEL 2019, the national ICT exhibition, for the 27th consecutive year with the presence of Minister of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology and INFOTEL Steering Committee 2019 Chairman Ajith P. Perera, at the Ministry of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology.
The government has allocated Rs. 580 million to promote Sri Lanka’s exports, tourism and investment opportunities at Expo 2020 Dubai, which is expected to draw over 25 million visitors.
2019-08-21/ http://www.ft.lk/front-page/SLASSCOM-and-Norway-sign-2-year-agreement-to-collaborate-on-ICT-development-and-entrepreneurship/44-684251
The Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs entered into a two-year agreement to foster collaboration in the ICT industry. The newly-appointed Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trine Jøranli Eskedal and SLASSCOM Chairman Ranil Rajapakse signed the agreement.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in association with the National Research Council (NRC) held an awareness session on the NRC’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Programme on 29th July, 2019, at the EDB Auditorium targeting the exporter community. The aim of the session was to educate exporters about the modalities of the PPP programme.
“This Act is truly visionary; I wish other countries had this in their export development framework!”, remarked a senior official of the Geneva-based International Trade Centre to me some months back. He was referring to the ‘Sri Lanka Export Development Act No. 40 of 1979’, which marks 40 years this month. He had found it to be an institutional arrangement that was far ahead of its time, and is still having relevance today – not just for Sri Lanka, but also for other developing countries. And he would know, having worked on export development strategies for over a dozen countries around the world.
To help Sri Lankan companies eyeing the daunting Indian market, the International Trade and Development Strategies Ministry yesterday launched a new report to assist breaking into India, with Minister Malik Samarawickrama undertaking a visit to India this week to help local businesses find success across the Palk Strait.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board [EDB] which turned 40 years on 1st August is the premier state organization for the development and promotion of exports. The Board plays myriad roles in the export sector of the economy, as a Policy Advisor, Monitor, Promoter, Facilitator and Knowledge Provider in carrying out its responsibilities of implementing strategies for achieving national export targets.
2019-07-25/ http://www.ft.lk/it-telecom-tech/ICT-Industry-Skills-Council-steps-up-initiatives/50-682601
In yet another significant step forward, the ICT Industry Skills Council (ICTISC) is planning to introduce significant impetus to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Skills Development in the country.
Despite global and local challenges, Sri Lanka’s merchandised and service exports have risen by 11.4% to $ 8.5 billion in the first half of this year, prompting the Government to attribute it to a series of development efforts and assure further support. Releasing the latest yet provisional data, Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama said yesterday that export sector performance was commendable, though he admitted there is significant scope for higher value. “The 11.4% growth, despite the impact of the October 2018 undemocratic constitutional coup, and the Easter Sunday tragedy, as well as global challenges, is very satisfactory. For the first time, three months of first half of 2019 - January, March and June - have produced over $ 1 billion worth of merchandised exports. We had originally set an ambitious $ 20 billion target for 2019, but we may miss it and end up at around $ 18.5 billion, which will be still higher than the $ 16 billion achieved last year,” Samarawickrama said.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) has been conducting the Exporters’ Forum since its inception from late 70s. The EDB has identified the need of a common platform to discuss and resolve the issues faced by the exporter community in Sri Lanka in order to facilitate exporters to overcome constraints arising from policy and operational issues created by various institutes that regulate, operate, and facilitate cross border trade. The EDB as the nation’s prime institute to facilitate export development created this mechanism to enable exporters to submit their issues to the highest levels of state institutions that cannot be reached easily by a trader. The unique feature of the Exporters’ Forum is the participation of the private sector and the public sector to resolve issues, with the political leadership represented by the relevant minister together with direct ministry-level interventions providing solutions to address those issues.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) is planning to hold the 23rd Presidential Export Awards Ceremony under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena on 19 September at the BMICH
Sri Lanka's geo-strategic location has always made the country an ideal destination to those who wish to access emerging Asian markets. Global multinationals looking to enter large South Asian economies such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have increasingly utilized Sri Lanka as a testing ground to gauge opportunities and utilize the territory as an innovative incubation hub for the region.
Sri Lanka is home to a rapidly growing ICT/ BPM industry that thrives on innovation, tech development, and high-end service standards. Rather than going on the path of competing with other developing countries for headcount based outsourced businesses, Sri Lanka focused on developing a niche and specialized talent base carving out a competitive position for high-end product & service development and knowledge services.
