$36B
export target set for Sri Lanka by 2030 under the National Export Development Plan
103
plan of action measures across trade facilitation, trade finance, and logistics
The Task
Building Sri Lanka's National Export Development Plan for 2026 to 2030.
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis had made structural weaknesses impossible to ignore: high export concentration, shallow value chain integration, weak trade facilitation, and constrained access to finance, particularly for SMEs. The 2018 to 2022 export strategy had not delivered the intended diversification.
The mandate: translate export ambition into a coherent, implementable strategy. This strategy would diversify exports and markets, strengthen value chain integration, and position exports as the central driver of economic recovery and long-term growth.
The Approach
5 phases. Evidence-based and stakeholder-driven throughout.
Phase 01
Diagnostics
Review of the 2018 to 2022 strategy to identify gaps, combined with detailed trade, investment, and competitiveness diagnostics benchmarked against peer economies.
Phase 02
Stakeholder-driven design
Extensive consultations with government agencies, private sector, industry associations, and development partners through focus groups, bilateral interviews, and validation workshops.
Phase 03
Sector and market prioritisation
We identified priority sectors across auto components, electronics, digital services, marine industries, spices, and processed foods, alongside market diversification into Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Phase 04
Two-lever model
We developed a 2-lever model: cross-sectoral enablers covering trade facilitation, logistics, finance, standards, innovation, and skills; and sector-specific interventions for each priority industry.
Phase 05
Implementation-centric design
A governance and delivery framework with a sequenced plan of 103 actions, measurable outcomes, and early wins including trade digitalisation, the National Single Window, and tariff simplification.
The Analysis
Cross-cutting enablers are the highest-leverage path to Sri Lanka's $36B export target.
The 2018 to 2022 strategy had sound intent. Implementation broke down along predictable lines: inter-agency coordination gaps, unclear accountability, and a disconnect between national ambition and sub-national delivery capacity. The problem was not the strategy. It was the system designed to execute it.
Export performance is system-dependent. Logistics, digital trade systems, trade finance, and standards are capable of unlocking competitiveness across multiple sectors at once.
The Outcome
From diagnostic to a delivery-ready national export plan.
6 strategic objectives
Including trade facilitation reform, export promotion, investment ecosystem strengthening, and skills development, each with defined priorities and sequenced interventions.
Priority sectors and diversification pathways
Actionable roadmaps for auto components, electronics, digital services, marine industries, spices, and processed foods, with simultaneous market diversification into Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Early wins built in
Trade digitalisation, the National Single Window, and tariff simplification prioritised as immediate actions to build momentum.
Governance and accountability framework
A delivery structure with measurable outcomes and inter-agency coordination mechanisms, designed to address the implementation gaps that constrained previous strategies.
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