The national workshop titled "The Road to US$5 Billion" was successfully held on 31st July at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, with the objective of reviewing, validating, and building stakeholder consensus around the strategic roadmap designed to accelerate the growth of Sri Lanka's digital industry and increase digital export earnings to US$5 billion by 2030.

The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Digital Economy and GovTech Sri Lanka, with technical assistance from the World Bank Group, and brought together a wide range of key stakeholders representing Sri Lanka's digital industry.

The opening remarks were delivered by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chairman of GovTech Sri Lanka and Chief Presidential Advisor on the Digital Economy, and Victor Antonypillai, IFC Principal Country Officer of the World Bank Group.

Among the participants were Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Mr. Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy,along with numerous representatives from both the public and private sectors.

During the workshop, the Sri Lanka Information Technology Industry Assessment Report and the proposed Strategic Roadmap, prepared by local and international consultants from KPMG with technical support from the World Bank Group, were presented.

These documents had previously undergone several rounds of review and refinement by the Ministry of Digital Economy, GovTech Sri Lanka, and the Industry Development Committee. A key objective of the workshop was to gather broad industry feedback on the proposed roadmap.

Several thematic breakout sessions were conducted, focusing on key areas including:

Human capital development and future-ready digital skills,

Innovation and the empowerment of independent professionals,

Global market access and export growth,

Policies, investment, and infrastructure required for sustainable industry growth.

In addition to reviewing the report's findings and recommendations, participants discussed existing gaps, proposed new initiatives, implementation priorities, institutional responsibilities, performance indicators, and practical contributions that each stakeholder could make toward achieving the roadmap's objectives.

Special attention was given to positioning Sri Lanka's digital industry competitively on the global stage, understanding how artificial intelligence is reshaping business models and job roles, promoting high-value digital exports based on digital products and intellectual property, and identifying the actions needed to scale Sri Lankan innovation internationally.

The strategic roadmap aims to provide an evidence-based and actionable framework for enhancing the international competitiveness of Sri Lanka's digital industry, creating high-quality employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, expanding the global reach of locally developed digital products and services, and positioning Sri Lanka as a leading digital economy in the region.

The roadmap will be further refined by incorporating the feedback and recommendations received from industry experts and other stakeholders during the workshop. The final version is expected to include clearly identified priority actions, responsible institutions, implementation timelines, and measurable performance indicators as part of a comprehensive and practical action plan.

The national workshop was attended by leading companies in the information technology and digital services sectors, industry and professional associations, innovation-driven entrepreneurs, startups, investors, independent professionals, universities and research institutions, government agencies, Sri Lankan professionals living overseas, and international development partners.