Export Development Board Chairman and Chief Executive Mangala Wijesinghe has met Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof to seek provincial support for Sri Lanka Expo 2027 and for the country’s export and logistics agenda.
Wijesinghe attended with the Director General and senior EDB officials at the Governor’s Office in Battaramulla, Hiru News reported.
The strategy discussion
Talks covered export performance, emerging opportunities and the priorities set under the National Export Development Plan, the framework for shifting the economy toward export-led growth through priority sectors, market diversification, innovation and investment promotion. The EDB has recently convened the plan’s lead agencies to assign named officials to each workstream.
Officials pressed the case for expanding export-oriented industry, diversifying products and services, and improving competitiveness abroad.
Developing Sri Lanka as a regional logistics hub was also raised, with the EDB pointing to the island’s position on major shipping routes. That was a well-targeted pitch: Yusoof co-founded the logistics group Expolanka before taking up the governorship. He acknowledged the importance of efficient logistics to both export growth and investment attraction.
Expo 2027
Officials briefed the Governor on preparations for Sri Lanka Expo 2027, the EDB’s flagship international trade event, scheduled for 14 to 17 January 2027.
Particular attention went to the Investment Forum, expected to be a central feature, giving overseas investors and business leaders a route into sector-specific opportunities.
Yusoof pledged support, agreeing to circulate information through provincial networks and encourage investors and business representatives to take part. He also argued for closer work between national and provincial bodies on economic development, noting that quality investment and wider export opportunities drive growth and employment.
Interest in the Expo has been building internationally — Palestine’s economy minister agreed last week to lead a business delegation to the event.
Not reported
The report does not say what specific commitments the province made, whether provincial funding is involved, or how many exhibitors have registered for Expo 2027.
