Sri Lanka's Apex Organisation for Export Promotion
Connecting global markets has always been a core value proposition for Sri Lanka. For centuries the island nation has leveraged its strategic geopolitical positioning to connect the East and the West. Now, as traditional logistics models are disrupted by technological advancements, geographic location is gradually losing its relevance. Despite this, Sri Lanka looks set to continue being a vital piece of the global logistics puzzle through a transition from one core strength to another: a world class tech industry and strong affinity for disruptive digital innovation. The country’s robust talent pool and innovative culture has helped it be a part of global supply chains that would never traditionally cross Lankan shores. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the case of 99X Technology and IceFresh.
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 has built a reputation for churning out world-class solutions for multi-billion-dollar industries around the world. Availability and access to top engineering talent, creativity and resourcefulness, and a collaborative mentality to co-innovate solutions differentiate Sri Lanka from other locations.
2019-05-24/ http://www.ft.lk/it-telecom-tech/SLANSHEI-and-SLASSCOM-engage-in-strategic-partnership-to-boost-IT-BPM-industry-capacity/50-678908
The Sri Lankan Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) announces the signing of a strategic partnership with the Sri Lanka Association of Non-State Higher Education Institutes (SLANSHEI), the umbrella organisation formed through the initiation of seven leading private educational bodies addressing the needs of the non-state higher education sector in the country.
2019-05-23/ http://www.ft.lk/business/Sri-Lanka-participates-at-Seafood-Expo-Global-2019-Brussels/34-678696
Sri Lankan seafood exporters participated at the 27th Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global at the Brussels Expo, the world’s largest trade fair in the fisheries sector, which was successfully held from 7-9 May in Brussels, Belgium.
“Raavana 1”, Sri Lanka’s first satellite, a cube satellite designed and developed by a team of Sri Lankan engineers was successfully carried to International Space Station from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on February 18, 2019. “Raavana 1” will be deployed to 400km orbit in mid June 2019, and will be in operation from July 2019 onwards after establishing communication links with the ground station at Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT). This was part of a landmark project of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, functions under the purview of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Research. ACCIMT is a key public sector technology institute in Sri Lanka working in this unique field of Space Technology (or Space Engineering).
2019-05-22/ http://www.ft.lk/business/Messe-Duesseldorf-bullish-on-promoting-industrial-products-of-Sri-Lanka/34-678606
Reinforcing Germany’s support to Sri Lanka in need of the hour, world’s leading trade fair organiser Messe Duesseldorf GmbH announced plans to promote ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ as a quality brand and build the country’s industrial products in the international arena.
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.
Transforming Sri Lanka into the hub of the Indian Ocean, with a knowledge-based, highly competitive and social-market economyis the objective of the Vision 2025 policy document of the Government.Making the transistion to anexport, FDI and tourism orientedcountry is the only optionfor Sri Lanka to create better jobs for the youth of our country and to graduate to a higher income economy.
A top level Sri Lankan ICT/BPM delegation organised by the Export Development Board successfully participated at the Japan IT Week 2019 from 8 to 10 May.
As per the instructions of the Hon. Malik Samarawickrama, Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade, Export Development Board organized a meeting with the key Exporters and Investors on Friday 03rd May 2019 at the 3rd Floor Auditorium to discuss the current situation of the country.
Sri Lanka’s share in the global export market and the contribution of exports to the national GDP has been in decline whereas imports to the country is in the increase. Further exports are dependent on imported inputs therefore, it is noted that the gap between export and import has been continuously increasing.
Vehicle Carrier, Glovis Sun sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, helped the Hambantota International Port (HIP) to reach its highest discharge volumes to date, when 5,000 transshipment units were discharged in record time last month. The discharge operation was completed 22 hours prior to the expected time and the vessel was able to depart well before schedule the following day.
Global logistics service provider, Expolanka Freight Ltd. (EFL), has announced that it has implemented its first wave of transformative Robotic Process Automation (RPA) across all its distribution centres and Freeport to support day-to-day operations, making it the first 3PL to have achieved this in Sri Lanka. Through this move to automate repetitive processes across its portfolio, the country’s most dynamic supply chain services vendor has further strengthened its position at the cutting edge of logistics innovation, adding even greater value to its business offering.
2019-05-05/ http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2019/05/05/business/let%E2%80%99s-work-together-against-global-terrorism-tourism-promotion-bureau-chief
Sri Lanka participated in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2019), the largest annual professional and official exhibition for the Tourism market in the Middle East last week.
2019-05-05/ http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2019/05/05/business/%E2%80%9Ctourism-industry-will-regain-lost-ground%E2%80%9D
The tourism industry which suffered economic losses due to the Easter Sunday attacks, looks forward to regain its lost position sooner than expected with the support of the Government.
2019-04-30/ http://www.ft.lk/it-telecom-tech/Lanka-Start-up-Ecosystem-investor-forum-in-Sydney/50-677419
Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Sydney along with BOV Capital, Colombo and Grant Thornton, Sydney organised an investor forum showcasing the Start-up Ecosystem in Sri Lanka on Wednesday 17 April. Over 50 entrepreneurs who are keen to understand and look at investment potential in the Lankan Start up Ecosystem participated in the investor forum and the business networking.
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the national ICT solutions provider, entered into a partnership with AsiaInfo International Ltd., a leading IT solutions and service integrator in the global communications industry, to introduce digital products and solutions to the Sri Lankan market.
Japan IT Week is one of the world’s leading ICT/BPM-focused exhibitions and provides a myriad of opportunities for professionals, vendors, service providers and customers to meet exhibitors from across the world and develop profitable business relationships. Japan has a strong track record of innovation, making Japan IT Week the ideal platform for Sri Lankan companies to showcase their offerings, establish business relations and expand their footprint in the continent.
Initiative of upward tariff revision by the SLPA has become a controversial matter raising many concerns of exporters/importers during tough times where Sri Lanka is trying to find their position back in the world map as a competitive exporter. However, the SLPA seems adamant to go-ahead with this implementation disregarding the concerns raised by the industry sources revealed. Though the players who are engaged in the international trade continuously insisted that, rates remain unchanged, it is unfortunate that the Authorities are still trying to act in favor of the upward revision.
