EDB-ADB formulate SL’s 2025-2029 National Export Development Plan

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is steadily progressing in the development of the National Export Development Plan (NEDP) for 2025-2029. 

As part of this ongoing initiative, the second round of discussions took place on June 2, 2025, on the EDB premises, following the inaugural meeting held in April.

The forthcoming strategy aims to strengthen Sri Lanka’s export sector through a data-driven, diagnostic-based approach, building on the experiences and lessons learned from the National Export Strategy (NES) 2018-2022. Key focus areas include trade diagnostics, market diversification, global value chain integration and alignment with national development priorities.

EDB Chairman/CEO Mangala Wijesinghe expressed appreciation for the ADB’s continued support and reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to achieving US $ 36 billion in exports by 2030. He emphasised the importance of leveraging the country’s comparative advantages to drive sustainable and inclusive export growth.

During the session, the ADB presented its proposed methodology for the NEDP, highlighting the importance of broad stakeholder engagement and a well-defined implementation roadmap. This partnership is part of the ADB’s Policy Based Lending programme implemented under the Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Ministry and is aligned with the government vision of ‘A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life’.

The NEDP 2025-2029 is expected to serve as a comprehensive and strategic framework to guide Sri Lanka’s export-led economic transformation over the next five years.