Jointly, JICA and EDB present Sri Lankan ICT firms to the Japanese market.

The mission of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) is to support exporters’ interests and advance international commerce. EDB continuously looks for new markets and chances for technical cooperation in this endeavor, especially through alliances with foreign organizations. One such partnership is with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which aims to introduce local tech companies to the Japanese market in order to grow Sri Lanka’s ICT/BPM sector. Beyond the short-term financial gains, this collaboration seeks to promote information sharing.

Over the course of two years (2024–2025), EDB launched this project to help 30 SME ICT/BPM enterprises and startups with technical assistance from JICA. The project provides matchmaking services, business coaching, and market intelligence.

A group of consultants has been deployed by JICA to offer technical advice, collaborate closely with Sri Lankan businesses, find areas of overlap, and link the two IT ecosystems.

This year, the consultant team completed two awareness sessions for the IT industry and two Training of Trainers (TOT) sessions for EDB officers. One-on-one consultations are ongoing with the selected companies and they are preparing  activity plans for each company and identifying suitable Japanese partners, while translating promotional materials in to Japanese language.

Two consultants in their November visit to Sri Lanka conducted around 30 individual meetings from 19^th -21^st November with a general awareness session on 22^nd November at the JICA Sri Lanka office. The session was organized by the EDB and Mr. Mangala Wijesinghe, Chairman and CEO of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, and Mr. Tetsuya Yamada, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Sri Lanka addressed the participants.

This collaboration between Sri Lanka and Japan underscores the value of international partnerships, demonstrating the potential for ongoing growth and knowledge sharing. It benefits both countries’ tech industries by fostering innovation and creating new opportunities for cooperation.