The Consulate General of Sri Lanka to Dubai and Northern Emirates, in collaboration with the Export Development Board (EDB) Sri Lanka, organized the Sri Lanka pavilion at Expand North Star 2024, one of the world’s largest IT fairs in the world. This premier event offered a unique opportunity for Sri Lanka to highlight the capabilities of 10 of its leading IT startups, underscoring the nation’s growing potential in the global technology landscape.
Sri Lanka’s participation in Expand North Star 2024 reflects the nation’s vision to position the country as a technology-driven economy and its efforts to attract multinational IT companies. The event provided the Sri Lankan startups with access to potential investors, international partners and customers, creating invaluable opportunities for collaboration. By supporting startups and encouraging international tech collaborations, Sri Lanka aims to accelerate its digital transformation and unlock new economic opportunities for sustainable growth.
The Sri Lankan delegation that attended the event also took part in several networking sessions. They participated in the “Pakistani Night @ GITEX”, organized by the Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai, engaging with investors and tech leaders from the South Asian region as well as from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The “Tech Biz Networking Event” co-hosted by the Iranian Business Council in Dubai and leading Chinese IT companies, provided them with more avenues to explore partnerships, exchange ideas, and connect with global entrepreneurs.
In addition, a series of targeted visits was organized by the Consulate General. These visits offered insights into the support systems available in the UAE for startups, and also facilitated exploring potential collaborative measures, access to mentorship and funding opportunities for Sri Lankan startups. During the visits the delegation met with Senior Vice President - Entrepreneurship & Technology Ecosystem of Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) Ghanim Al Falasi, CEO Dtec at the DSO headquarters Hans Christopher, and also Director of the Business Incubation Department Abdel Aziz Al Mazami, and Senior Manager of Hamdan Innovation Incubator (Hi2) Youssef Lootah from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. The delegation explored the possibility of securing funding and mentorship from the UAE’s leading innovation fund, Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF).
Further, the Consulate General facilitated a business networking session in partnership with the EDB, the Sri Lanka Business Council to UAE (SLBC), and the Sri Lankan IT Professionals Association in the UAE (SLITPA).
Addressing the gathering, Consul General of Sri Lanka Alexi Gunasekera emphasized the Sri Lankan government's policy on advancing the digital industry, which aims to generate foreign revenue worth 5 billion USD annually, and to expand the country’s workforce to 200,000 by 2030. He also highlighted the establishment of four Digital Technology Parks in Sri Lanka as part of this initiative. Furthermore, the Consul General noted that the government seeks to increase the annual volume of the digital economy from 3.47 billion USD to 15 billion USD by 2030 and urged participants to support public-private partnerships in boosting Sri Lanka's IT and BPO sectors.
The Consulate General expresses its gratitude to all partners and participants who contributed to the success of the initiative.
Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Dubai
24 October 2024
