Keep Abreast With the Exports and Exporters in Sri Lanka

Government in collaboration with the private sector is in the process of setting up an operation of a Business Center for Incubators and Accelerators in the Northern region in order to develop Enterprises in the Technology Sector by youth in the Northern region.   

From the series of ICT/BPM Weeks conducted by Sri Lanka Export Development Board in Kandy, Jaffna, Kurunegala, Marata followed by the roaring success of all events, EDB hosts a follow up program crafted with half-day workshop and an industry visit on 29th of January 2019 at Hatch Works (Pvt) Ltd. in the association with SLASSCOM. The main objectives of this event were to make awareness on how to do a winning pitch to market the business, how the operations happen in incubations centers and the available opportunities in the ICT sector for the Regional ICT companies.

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Sri Lanka Exports Development Board (SLEDB) are working to uplift and transform the country’s Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Business Process Management (BPM) sector as part of its recently launched National Export Strategy (NES).

The National Export Strategy (NES) is progressing in the right direction. It has six focused areas and is expected to provide the impetus for the export drive supporting economic growth, Chairperson of the Export Development Board (EDB), Indira Malwatte said.

Capital TRUST Holdings Limited has received the ‘Asia’s Greatest Brands 2018’Award in the ‘Diversified’ category. Further, Tushan Wickramasinghe, Chairman/CEO, Capital TRUST Holdings Limited has received the ‘Asia’s Greatest Leaders 2018’ Award.

Following the success of the first and the only tab-based Smart Classroom in Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, together with the Ministry of Education and CodeGen International Ltd., introduced the first grade-wide deployment of Smart Classrooms at the Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Boys School on 7 January.

The Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) will host the first-ever Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Conference and Hackathon Awards on 13 February at the Galle Face Hotel. Organised by the SLASSCOM Business Process Management (BPM) Forum, this event has already seen many companies submitting entries for the virtual hackathon.

Sri Lanka’s largest co-working office space and business incubator, Hatch, was launched amidst much anticipation on Thursday, 24 January 2019. A panel discussion comprising of Sri Lanka’s leaders in business and social change marked the first of the action-packed, three-day event – staying true to the space’s objective of developing and sustaining the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the larger goal of developing a resilient economy.

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), a most awaited platform for Geo Spatial Information in Sri Lanka, was launched by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) at Trace Expert City recently.

London Stock Exchange (LSE) group said its trade-matching technology developed by its Sri Lankan unit has been chosen for AAX, a new cryptocurrency digital exchange platform being launched by Hong Kong-based fintech firm ATOM Group.

BoardPAC, globally recognised as a leading provider of revolutionary paperless board-meeting automation solutions captured a record six Stevie accolades at the 15th International Business Awards (IBA) 2018 held recently.

Sri Lanka, despite its size is fast becoming an emerging destination for contemporary development. Famed for its traditional exports like Pure Ceylon Tea, Apparel and praised as a tourist hotspot, this island nation is now emerging as one of the top tech destinations in the world. The country has proved the strength of a dynamic force in the business world today, playing a dominant role advancing technology and driving innovation across the world.

Sri Lanka’s merchandise and service exports in 2018 are estimated to have hit an all-time high of $ 17 billion, up 15% from a year earlier prompting the Government to be confident of achieving the $20 billion milestone this year.

Image Source: Daily FT

The Colombo Test Automation Conference (CTAC 2018) organised by SLASSCOM Quality Circle for the third consecutive year in Sri Lanka to provide a platform to all the test automation professionals to meet, present and challenge ideas was held on November 14, 2018 at BMICH, BCIS Auditorium, Colombo.

Another successful implementation of the National Budget 2018 though ‘IT Initiative’, marked with the inauguration of the Training Program in Fundamentals of Data Science was held on 29 October, at the Senate Hall of University of Colombo.

At the recently held APICTA 2018, Sri Lanka won 3 Gold Awards and was also able to secure 7 Merit awards. In addition to that, Sri Lanka also emerged as the third highest achiever in the awards tally at APICTA 2018 as well. APICTA or the Asia Pacific Information Communication and Technology Alliance is an association of national ICT organizations representing their respective economies.

INFOTEL 2018, the biggest and most prestigious Information and Communication Technology (ICT) exhibition in Sri Lanka and the whole of South Asia organized by FITIS (Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka), was held from 02nd to 04th November, at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo for the 17th consecutive year. INFOTEL 2018, themed “Towards a Digital Economy”, is aligned with the national priorities of enhancing the digital infrastructure of the country for facilitating a digitally empowered ecosystem while improving the Citizens’ engagement in a digital society. Throughout the three days, thousands of local and foreign visitors were taken part in the exhibition.

Over the last several months, the Export Development Board has developed a relationship with UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Global Access Program (GAP) with a view to strengthening Sri Lanka’s exports to the United States. The Export Development Board has worked closely with GAP Executive Director Dr. Fredrik Leuhusen, in addition to seeking external reference from agencies in New Zealand and Finland who have been among the most frequent GAP clients.

The 22nd Presidential Export Awards Ceremony was held to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Exporters at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, on September 18, 2018, under the patronage of His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena the President of Sri Lanka.

Following is the address by Minister Malik Samarawickrama at the Presidential Export Awardson 18 September