World Bank Vice President for South Asia, Martin Raiser, completed a two-day visit to Sri Lanka on January 22, 2025. During his visit, he met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and other officials to discuss economic recovery and growth.
Raiser expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet with the new government and was encouraged by discussions with private sector stakeholders about fostering growth and job creation. The focus areas included poverty reduction, digital development, and the Clean Sri Lanka initiative. The World Bank plans to finance three projects over the next three months totaling $200 million. These projects will support rural development, education, and renewable energy investment.
“The World Bank is committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s development agenda," said Raiser. He also discussed priorities for medium-term support such as enhancing tourism, developing lagging regions in the North, promoting logistics growth, improving service delivery, and equipping the workforce with necessary skills.
Raiser emphasized macroeconomic stability and governance improvement as crucial for income boosting and job creation. "Sri Lanka’s growth prospects depend on mobilizing additional private sector investment," he stated.
The World Bank's future program in Sri Lanka will be detailed in an upcoming mid-term review of its Country Partnership Framework (CPF), scheduled for completion within six months. This updated CPF will align with government priorities and guide continued collaboration between Sri Lanka and the World Bank Group.
Raiser concluded by reiterating the World Bank’s readiness to support Sri Lanka's transition from recovery to sustained economic growth by engaging both public and private sectors.