A national workshop titled “The Road to US$5 Billion” was held on Friday  (31) at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, to review the strategic roadmap developed to accelerate the growth of Sri Lanka’s digital industry and increase digital export revenue to US$5 billion by 2030, while building consensus among industry stakeholders on its implementation.

The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Digital Economy and GovTech Sri Lanka, with technical assistance from the World Bank Group.

The 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 Victor Antonypillai, Lead Industry Specialist of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

At the workshop, an assessment report on Sri Lanka’s information technology industry and the proposed strategic roadmap were presented. The report was prepared by local and international consultants from KPMG with technical support from the World Bank Group. The roadmap, further developed with contributions from the Ministry of Digital Economy, GovTech Sri Lanka and the Industry Development Committee, was presented for review and feedback from representatives of the digital industry.

Several thematic group discussions were also conducted, focusing on key areas including human capital development and future-ready skills, strengthening innovation and empowering independent professionals, expanding global market access and exports, and establishing the policies, investments and infrastructure required for sustainable growth.

In addition to reviewing the findings and recommendations of the assessment report, discussions focused on identifying existing gaps, new proposals, implementation priorities, institutional responsibilities, progress measurement indicators and the practical contributions required from relevant stakeholders.

Special attention was given to positioning Sri Lanka’s digital industry in the global marketplace, addressing the impact of artificial intelligence on business models and employment roles within the sector, developing high-value exports based on intellectual property and digital products, and creating pathways to take local innovations to international markets.

The strategic roadmap is expected to provide an evidence-based framework to enhance the international competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s digital industry, expand quality employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, enable local digital products and services to access global markets, and position Sri Lanka as a leading digital economy in the region.

The roadmap will be further refined by incorporating the recommendations and insights presented at the workshop. The next phase will involve preparing an integrated action plan that clearly identifies priority actions, responsible institutions, implementation timelines and progress indicators.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, 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 and research institutions, government agencies, Sri Lankan professionals based overseas and international development partners.

President’s Media Division (PMD)