First-ever women-focused trade delegation from Sri Lanka to visit UK

Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs showcase export-ready products ahead of UK trade mission

Pix from EDB

• Three Sri Lankan women-led businesses will engage in B2B meetings and company visits across London, Manchester and Yorkshire
• Certified export products, including Ceylon Tea, Cinnamon and value-added agrifoods, will take spotlight
• UK-Sri Lanka trade reached GBP 1.7bn last year
• 92% of Sri Lankan goods eligible for zero tariffs under UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme 

By Shannine Daniel 

Sri Lanka will soon see its first women-focused trade delegation to the UK, under the UK government-funded SheTrades Commonwealth+ (STC+) programme.

According to the Export Development Board (EDB), over five days, the trade mission would bring three Sri Lankan women-led businesses for business-to-business (B2B) meetings and company visits across London, Manchester and Yorkshire. 

They will showcase the diversity and quality of Sri Lanka’s export goods, including Ceylon Cinnamon, Tea, coconut-based products, spices and innovative processed agrifoods, which have been certified according to the international export standards.

The delegation would enable open exchange and practical dialogue on bilateral trade, while focusing on the unique experiences of women exporters, the EDB said in a recent web update. 

This initiative came into fruition due to the positive outcomes of the December 2024 UK-Sri Lanka trade mission and the successful launch of the SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub in March last year.

The Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK and UK business associations have also partnered with this initiative.

As reported by the Daily Mirror in March last year, women-led businesses in Sri Lanka contribute to more than 25 percent of the country’s small and medium-sized enterprise sector.

However, they face disproportionate challenges in securing international buyers and scaling operations, a situation faced by women entrepreneurs around the world.  In this light, the SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub was established to provide tailored training, trade facilitation and networking opportunities to bridge this gap and capitalise on Sri Lanka’s economic growth and increase exports.

The hub is part of a global network of 20 SheTrades Hubs around the world spanning Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa. According to the EDB, trade between the UK and Sri Lanka was GBP 1.7 billion last year, an increase of GBP 154 million from 2024. 

The UK is a key export market for Sri Lanka, with 92 percent of goods eligible for zero tariffs, under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, the EDB added.