ADB backs Sri Lanka’s export plan rollout as implementation phase nears
Sri Lanka’s push to recalibrate its export strategy gathered pace this week, with an Asian Development Bank (ADB) mission engaging the Export Development Board (EDB) on the rollout of the country’s National Export Development Plan (NEDP) for 2026–2030.
The latter expected to anchor the island’s next phase of export-led growth.
The fact-finding mission, part of ADB’s Trade, Investment and Industry Development Policy-Based Lending (PBL) programme, reviewed progress on the plan and discussed implementation priorities, including securing Cabinet approval, finalising the launch timeline and mapping technical support required for the next phase.
The ADB delegation, led by Senior Public Sector Economist Kanupriya Gupta, met with EDB Chairman and senior management on 27 April to assess readiness for implementation and agree on immediate next steps, with a focus on ensuring a structured and time-bound rollout.
Discussions centred on the institutional architecture needed to deliver the plan, including the establishment of a high-level steering committee, a dedicated project management unit and a monitoring framework to track outcomes, elements seen as critical to avoiding past implementation gaps in export strategies.
ADB’s involvement, under its policy-based lending framework in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, is aimed at supporting reforms to improve trade competitiveness and diversify export markets, two longstanding structural weaknesses in Sri Lanka’s export profile.
The planned transition to Subprogram 2 is expected to bring in targeted technical assistance, particularly around execution capacity and coordination across agencies, as the government seeks to align export policy with its broader economic recovery agenda.
The NEDP is positioned as a central pillar in Sri Lanka’s medium-term growth strategy, with authorities betting on stronger export performance to stabilise the external account, support foreign exchange inflows and reduce vulnerability to global shocks.
