Sri Lanka ICT sector records massive growth in service exports

Earnings from the information and communication technology sector reached approximately 536 million dollars during the first four months of 2026, marking a yearly growth rate of about 20%. Export Development Board Director Indumini Kodikara, speaking on a television programme, stated that the segment emerged as a key pillar supporting national efforts to expand export revenue and integrate into global value chains. Contribution from this industry to service exports stood at around 1.7% from last year to early 2026, outperforming traditional tea exports. Lower production costs and higher value addition within the country align with a global expansion in the services market, where services currently account for about 27 per cent of all traded goods and services.

Export Development Board Chief Executive Officer Mangala Wijesinghe confirmed the 536 million dollar figure for the four months and highlighted the consistent 20% annual growth. The state agency aims to elevate total service sector revenue to 5 billion dollars by 2030 through infrastructure investments, training, and development initiatives. Beyond technology, the national services strategy encompasses transport and logistics, which expanded by 1.9% over the past year. Authorities are targeting underutilised fields such as electronics, electrical engineering, marine, and offshore services to capture untapped global opportunities.

Upgrades at the Port of Colombo, which functions as the primary transit shipment hub, intend to boost container handling from 7 billion 20-foot equivalent units to a future target of 9 billion units. Indumini Kodikara emphasised that these infrastructural enhancements necessitate foreign investment. Mangala Wijesinghe noted that Sri Lanka Customs and the Port Authority Administration, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, actively facilitate these inflows. Development plans also focus on expanding logistics capacity at the Hambantota and Trincomalee hubs to mitigate regional vulnerabilities, while ongoing trade discussions, including leveraging the Japan-India corridor, seek to boost local production and global integration.