Saturday Oct 24, 2026
Saturday Oct 24, 2026
Saturday, 24 October 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) has held talks with the University of Kelaniya on providing language interpretation services for business-to-business (B2B) discussions between visiting foreign delegates and Sri Lankan export companies at Sri Lanka Expo 2027.
The international exhibition will be held at the BMICH from 14 to 17 January, 2027. The first three days will be dedicated to international buyers and investors, while the final day will also be open to the general public.
An EDB delegation led by EDB Chairman and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe recently met University of Kelaniya officials at the Vice-Chancellor’s office. The delegation included EDB Director General Erandika Dissanayake, Additional Director General (Development) Kumuduni Mudaliage, Director (Export Services) Indumini Kodikara and Expo Consultant Coordinator Anoma Premathilake.
The university was represented by University of Kelaniya Vice-Chancellor Prof. Narada Fernando, Faculty of Humanities Dean Senior Prof. Patrick Ratnayake, Department of Modern Languages Head Dr. Udara de Silva and Department of Hindi Head and Senior Lecturer Udeshika Perera, together with academic staff of the Department of Modern Languages.
A central theme of the meeting was the role of foreign language skills in hosting the international delegations expected at the Expo. EDB officials stressed that the requirement goes well beyond interpretation, extending to facilitating business negotiations and documentation. The EDB will share its specific expectations and targets with the university.
The two sides also discussed student internships, translation services, an orientation program at the university and a process to recognise the services provided.
EDB officials briefed the university on the Board’s mandate, which covers advising the Government on export policy formulation, capacity building, export facilitation, export performance monitoring and introducing Sri Lankan exporters to international markets through promotions.
They also highlighted the new National Export Development Plan (NEDP), formulated and being implemented over the next five years, which aims to increase exports by $ 36 billion by 2030.
