Business
Sri Lanka unveils national strategy for Inclusive and Sustainable Businesses to achieve Sustainable Development Goals
The Strategy to Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Business to achieve the SDGs (ISB Strategy) was jointly launched by the Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardene and the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) s Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana , at a ceremony held at the Temple Trees on Wednesday 31st January in the presence of Cabinet Ministers, senior government officials, business and industry leaders, representatives of international development agencies and renowned sustainability professionals.
The Strategy developed under the leadership of Sri Lanka’s Sustainable Development Council with technical support of ESCAP, establishes a comprehensive framework for businesses to flourish while driving positive social and environmental change and strengthens Sri Lanka’s journey towards a future interwoven with inclusive prosperity and environmental responsibility.
Recognising the pivotal role businesses play in attaining the SDGs, the Strategy aligns seamlessly with the government’s commitment to a private sector-led, inclusive, and sustainable economic transformation. It defines Inclusive and Sustainable Businesses (ISBs) as purpose-driven enterprises that harness market forces to address crucial social and environmental challenges, generating tangible impact beyond mere profitability. It provides opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of government actions to support ISB development in Sri Lanka.
Actions under the Strategy cover five core areas:
Setting the direction for Sri Lanka to become an inclusive and sustainable export and investment hub;
Raising awareness on the economic and social value that impact businesses bring and recognizing local success stories, through award and formal accreditation;
Building the capacities of businesses and governments to develop and to promote inclusive and sustainable businesses;
Supporting impact measuring and reporting; and
Enhancing access to finance for impact businesses
A number of governments in the Asia Pacific region are putting in place strategies to promote inclusive businesses. For example, ASEAN member states adopted in 2017 the ASEAN Inclusive Business Framework and in 2020 adopted the Guidelines for Promoting Inclusive Businesses in ASEAN. Countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia are taking various initiatives in support of ISB promotion and development. With the formulation of the ISB Strategy, Sri Lanka becomes the first country in South Asia to establish a robust framework for development of ISBs.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Industries and Health Dr. Ramesh Pathirana highlighted that ‘Sri Lanka’s younger generation is ready to move ahead with entrepreneurial development and the new ISB Strategy will help them to enter new global markets’. Meanwhile, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana stated that ‘Inclusive and sustainable businesses are more important than ever. They are different from business-as-usual as they put people and planet alongside profit and are therefore a critical accelerator if we are to get back on track with the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Delivering a message on behalf of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Climate Change, Ruwan Wijewardene highlighted that ‘The strategy equips the private sector with the tools and resources to compete globally, not just on price but on value and that Sri Lanka can become South Asia’s green hub, attracting investment, creating jobs, and leading in sustainable development’.
Underscoring the significance of this initiative, Prime Minister Gunawardena emphasized that “the strategy transcends mere economic growth. It is a blueprint for building a Sri Lanka where all can prosper, and sustainability becomes a legacy for future generations.”
Ceylinco Life’s Ambalantota branch agent AIP Manjula has been named one of three global finalists for the prestigious Insurance Agent of the Year award at the 11th Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards (ATLAA) 2026.
The recognition places a Sri Lankan insurance professional among the finalists in a regional field spanning South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Ceylinco Life said the achievement reflected the calibre and customer-focused approach of its agency force, while recognising Manjula’s professionalism and commitment to policyholders.
The award evaluates insurance agents on criteria extending beyond sales performance, including ethical conduct, client service, policy persistency, digital adoption, innovative practices and contributions to the insurance industry and community.
The awards are organised by Asia Advisers Network and Asia Insurance Review, with LIMRA as co-organiser. An independent judging and balloting process is monitored by KPMG as the official scrutineer. The judging panel comprises senior insurance executives, association presidents and industry experts from across the Asia-Pacific region.
CEAT Kelani Holdings (CKH) has retained its National Long-Term Rating of ‘AA+(lka)’ with a Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the company’s financial resilience and leading position in Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre market.
The ‘AA+(lka)’ rating, the second-highest on Fitch’s national scale, indicates a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments.
Fitch said CKH’s established market leadership and resilient financial profile remained key strengths, while noting its exposure to price-sensitive, cyclical and highly competitive markets.
The Stable Outlook reflects expectations that the company will maintain its market position despite rising input costs and increasing competition from imported tyres, while preserving adequate credit metrics during periods of weaker earnings and higher investment.
Fitch expects CKH’s established brand, extensive dealer network and adaptive pricing strategies to support its market position. Planned production facility upgrades are also expected to improve product quality, particularly in the radial tyre segment.
The rating agency expects near-term pressure on margins from higher raw material and energy costs but said the company’s low leverage and sound liquidity would provide a cushion.
CKH Chairman Chanaka De Silva said the rating reinforced the company’s focus on disciplined financial management, operational adaptability and long-term investment.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise, the enterprise services arm of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC, has launched its Premium Cloud service powered by Nutanix, aimed at helping Sri Lankan businesses modernise their IT infrastructure and accelerate digital transformation.
The service was unveiled at the Lanka Tech Summit 2026 held recently at ITC Ratnadipa, Colombo.
The Premium Cloud combines hybrid multi-cloud capabilities with enterprise-grade performance, enabling businesses to run mission-critical workloads, scale cloud deployments and strengthen business continuity through disaster recovery capabilities.
Hosted on SLT-MOBITEL’s Tier III data centre infrastructure, the platform is designed to provide enhanced security, reliability and flexibility while supporting the growing technology requirements of enterprises.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise said the platform would also support organisations seeking to adopt AI-ready capabilities and improve the management and performance of IT workloads.
A key feature of the launch was SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise joining the Nutanix Elevate Service Provider Program (NESPP), which the company said made it the first service provider in the region to join the programme.
Powered by Nutanix’s hybrid multicloud platform, the service enables application and data mobility across on-premises environments, public clouds and edge locations.
The company said the partnership combined Nutanix’s cloud technology with SLT-MOBITEL’s local expertise and support, strengthening its multi-cloud portfolio.
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