JICA, EDB jointly introduce Lankan:ICT companies to Japanese market

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in its bid to promote global trade and facilitate the interests of exporters actively seeking new markets and opportunities for technical collaborations, tied up with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), focusing on expanding Sri Lanka’s ICT/BPM sector by introducing local tech companies to the Japanese market.

This partnership aims to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration that goes beyond immediate economic benefits. With technical support from JICA, EDB initiated this project to assist 30 SME ICT/BPM companies and startups over a period of two years (2024-2025). The project offers market intelligence, business coaching, and matchmaking services. JICA has assigned a team of consultants to provide technical guidance, to work closely with Sri Lankan companies and to identify synergies and connect the two tech 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 November 19 to 21 with a general awareness session at the JICA Sri Lanka office.

“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,” said EDB Chairman and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe and Tetsuya Yamada, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Sri Lanka.

Source:Daily News