Government aims global competitiveness with digital innovation: President

• Asserts digitalisation will drive economic progress
• Says budget prioritises innovation and transformative growth
• Stresses need to commercialise new discoveries to achieve US $ 19bn export target

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to positioning Sri Lanka as a globally competitive nation through advancements in digitalisation and innovation.
Speaking at Innovation Island Summit 2025, held in Colombo, Dissanayake emphasised on strategies to promote transformative changes, particularly in emerging markets to achieve this objective.

With Sri Lanka showing growing interest in entrepreneurship, he stressed that the workforce must be encouraged to leverage digitalisation to drive innovation and commercialise new discoveries.
“The president explained that innovation drives human civilization to new stages and creates new markets, stating that new markets emerge only when the method of fulfilling needs changes,” the President’s Media Division stated in a media release.
The government has outlined an ambitious vision through digitalisation by 2030, with the current budget prioritising the promotion of new discoveries for commercialisation, according to Dissanayake.
He went on to project an export revenue target of US $ 19 billion for the year, emphasising the need to discover new methods of fulfilling market demands to achieve the revenue target.
“Creating an environment for the benefits of innovation to reach the entire population is a government responsibility. Innovation drives the creation of new markets by addressing emerging needs and that new markets emerge only when the method of fulfilling needs changes,” Dissanayake said.
Recognising the challenges in the global economic landscape, he called on international partners and investors to contribute in directing new investments toward the country.
Backed by Sri Lanka’s skilled workforce, he assured that with active participation of all stakeholders, innovation could become central to the country’s broader economic strategy.
Pic courtesy President’s 
Media Division