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Sri Lanka’s free, universal public health care system dates back to the 1930s. While the system is rooted in urban centres, public service provision has long since expanded into rural areas and is available island-wide, though concerns persist about the relative quality of these services beyond the major towns and cities. The Sri Lankan government has made a concerted effort to develop the education sector in recent years, seeing this as fundamental to its overall push to become an upper-middle-income country. This effort includes increased public spending, institutional and curricular reform and expansion, and the redevelopment of the foundations of the education system. At the same time the government is stepping up outreach efforts to encourage more students to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to develop forward-looking IT skills. This chapter contains an interview with Shyam Sathasivam, President, Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry.

Following years of steady growth, the ICT sector is embracing a period of fast-paced innovation. While the telecoms and business process outsourcing industries in Sri Lanka are reaching maturity, efforts are being focused on developing more innovative and high-end products. The sector’s organic growth is benefitting other industries, such as agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, and supporting the emergence of technology-focused small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, which in turn are creating jobs and value in the economy. At the same time, government and private sector stakeholders are trying to promote the country as a technology hub for international firms and investors. However, despite the progress made, recent political uncertainty and ongoing regional disparities in ICT infrastructure need to be addressed to ensure the sector’s momentum does not stall. This chapter contains an interview with Lakmini Wijesundera, CEO, IronOne Technologies.

The spotlight is very much on Sri Lanka’s tourism sector in 2019, after globally recognised company Lonely Planet named it as the number-one travel destination for the year. As the country embarks on a year of ambitious goals to attract more visitors, the sector is also at a critical juncture. Successful, sustainable growth will rely on a delicate rebranding of the destination’s reputation, from budget beach trips to a place where visitors are willing to pay all price points, including at the luxury level, and are well served. It is also important that growth is not achieved to the detriment of the island’s natural assets, both environmental and human. This chapter contains an interview with Hiran Cooray, Chairman, Jetwing Hotels.

While the construction sector witnessed substantial growth in the 24 months leading up to 2018, domestic market forces including a falling rupee, warnings of an asset bubble and political instability have stymied growth of late. However, despite market disruptions, a number of key projects forged ahead in 2018, including Port City Colombo and the Hambantota Industrial Zone. Impressive economic growth since 2009 has bolstered Sri Lanka’s property market. More employment opportunities, rising salaries and rapid rural-urban migration have all played a part in the expansion of housing and commercial properties. In recent years, increased investor appetite and a maturing economy have transformed Colombo into a dynamic modern city that still retains a sense of its past. This chapter contains an interview with Arun Pathak, Managing Director, WelcomHotels Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s economy has traditionally been agriculture-based, but several centuries of international trade – and the introduction of tea, rubber, and coffee cultivation by the UK – have altered the sector’s makeup significantly. After independence in 1948, the economy remained highly dependent on trade, with tea, rubber and coconut making up the bulk of exports, even while many Sri Lankans continued rice cultivation for domestic consumption using ancient reservoirs and paddy irrigation systems. Despite its generally strong economic growth since the end of the civil conflict in 2009, challenges still face the industry. Indeed, cultivation methods and post-harvest losses often result in low yields, productivity and profitability, which threaten to undermine growth and long-term potential. This chapter contains an interview with Mufaddal Jafferjee, Director, Jafferjee Brothers.

Sri Lanka has a total of 12,290 km of national highways, 1561 km of rail tracks, two international airports and four seaports. In order to boost the local economy and quality of life, the cultivation of an effective, reliable and cost-efficient transport system has been a priority for successive governments, albeit with varying degrees of success. Improvement plans in the pipeline include light rail transit and bus rapid transit systems in Colombo; the new transport system and port within Port City Colombo; the expansion of the Port of Colombo through the East Container Terminal; an overhaul of road and railway infrastructure; and improved airport infrastructure and technology. Sri Lanka is encouraging more public-private partnerships (PPPs) and created a new PPP Unit within the Ministry of Finance in order to facilitate more private sector involvement in infrastructure development. This chapter contains an interview with Bai Jingtao, Managing Director, China Merchants Port Holdings Company.