President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that Sri Lanka is poised to achieve an economic growth rate exceeding 4% in 2025. Speaking at the inauguration of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce-hosted Economic Summit at the Shangri-La Hotel yesterday, the President outlined the government’s strategic focus on key sectors to drive this growth.
Highlighting tourism, shipping and logistics, and the ICT sector as priority areas, the President emphasized that the government will invest significantly in expanding the ports sector. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was also identified as a critical driver of rapid economic growth, and the government has introduced measures to streamline investment processes.
“Currently, it takes around 269 days from signing an agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) to project execution, requiring approvals from 82 institutions, including 11 under the Ministry of Environment. We have now implemented systems to reduce this timeline to less than 82 days to attract more investors,” the President stated.
Addressing regional economic disparities, the President noted the importance of reducing the economic gap between the Western Province and other regions. He assured that the upcoming budget will include proposals to address these disparities and promote balanced development across the country.
The President’s remarks highlighted the government’s commitment to creating an investor-friendly environment, fostering regional equity, and leveraging key sectors to achieve sustained economic growth in 2025.
