ICTA - Rotary SME Conclave: Access to markets key to SME growth

Monday, 11 August 2025 04:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The teams from ICTA and Rotary at press conference

SMEs being advised on getting funding

In a unique partnership between ICTA and Rotary, the two organisations came together to foster the growth of SMEs. Thirty-five key SMEs were carefully selected for a strategic partnership with Rotary, aimed at providing focused capability development and improved market access. The SME Conclave, dedicated to the IT sector, was held at the BOI Auditorium, World Trade Centre.

The Rotary Governor Sri Lanka and Maldives Delvin Pereira said, “We have dedicated the year to uplift the SME’s in a contextual basis as data reveals that almost 263,000 SME’s ceasing operations or on the verge of being wound up and this has impacts to children going to school, putting for on the table that is nutritious and maintaining basic hygiene and sanitation. Hence, it’s our duty as a service organisation to address this issue. On a separate note, we want to select 8-10 of those who attend today’s event and thereby give access to Rotary resources.”

ICTA CEO Sanjay Karunasena said, “the Digital economy will be the growth agenda of the country. We are targeting the industry to grow from $ 5 billion to $ 30 billion in the next 3-5 years. Today’s program was the start for driving the partnership approach to growth.”

The Rotary SME project Chairman Dr. Rohantha Athukorala commented, “We are just only three weeks into the program and reached a cross-section of SMEs in Galle and Kurunegala at two programs we did together with the Divisional Secretariat of the two areas. The ground reality is that they find it hard to reach policy makers to get support on policy, access to finance, lack of basic management skills, and of course, market connectivity. If we can find a set of SMEs that can be moved to the Colombo Stock Exchange Listing process, then we have achieved our end objective “.

“There is a lot of work done,” said Governor Pereira. “With the strong membership of Rotary who are all business leaders in each of the geographical areas of the country, I am confident that we can make a difference. The response from the banking and private sector is very encouraging. We must be part of the reform agenda as ‘People of action’. If not, Sri Lanka will go to default in 2028. Time has come for us to ask what we can do for the country and not ask what the country can do for us.”

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