SLASSCOM courts Indian tech giants with ‘tier-two city’ pitch

Sri Lanka’s IT/BPM industry has unveiled an aggressive new strategy to court the Indian tech giants, positioning the island nation as a premier “alternative tier-two city” for companies looking to expand and diversify their operations.

The initiative was announced by the newly elected Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) Chairperson Shehani Seneviratne and is central to a renewed effort aimed at boosting the nation’s IT/BPM export earnings to an ambitious target of US $ 5 billion. 

She shared these remarks at the SLASSCOM post-Annual General Meeting session held in Colombo last Thursday.

This strategic push aims to directly tap into India’s multi-billion-dollar tech ecosystem, offering a compelling proposition of geographical proximity, a highly skilled talent pool and operational resilience.

“Our collaboration with the NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies) has strengthened over the years,” Seneviratne told the industry leaders. 

“We have started working on assessing and promoting Sri Lanka as an alternative tier-two city for Indian giants to set up locations in.”

The initiative spearheads a broader vision under Seneviratne’s leadership to aggressively market Sri Lanka as a destination for high-value knowledge services. This India-centric strategy is seen as the flagship component to attract significant foreign direct investment and accelerate growth beyond the industry’s organic trajectory.

“Now is the time to actively market Sri Lanka as a destination for high-quality knowledge services, as we have a talent pool available,” Seneviratne emphasised. This primary objective is supported by a comprehensive national strategy focused on upskilling the workforce to be “AI-ready”, fostering a vibrant start-up culture and ensuring a stable and attractive policy environment for investors. The plan also continues to leverage Sri Lanka’s reputation for ethical business practices and sustainability to build trust with global clients.

In her address, Seneviratne, a long-time industry contributor, made a clear call for a unified effort to realise this vision.

“None of this can be done in isolation,” she stated, urging the industry members to collaborate closely.  “Your voice, your ideas and your energy are what will shape the future of our industry.”