Deputy Minister of Industries and Enterprise Development, Chathuranga Abeysinghe, has shared key figures from the Board of Investment’s (BOI) performance dashboard, from January to June 2025, countering scepticism regarding Sri Lanka’s investment climate.
According to the report, 57 projects have been approved by the BOI so far in 2025.
From the US$569 million estimated investment, US$507 million is foreign direct investment (FDI), which is a 101% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The report further shows that US$285 million has been generated through local investments, and these projects are expected to create over 14,000 new employment opportunities.
Export revenue for BOI companies stood at US$3.7 billion, showing a 3% growth.
Deputy Minister Abeysinghe pointed out that the lack of accessible data in the past had allowed corruption and inefficiency to flourish, but transparency and results are now leading the way.
He further said new export processing zones are being established beyond the Ministry’s own industrial zones, indicating wider national industrial growth.
“Until Sri Lanka goes bankrupt again, some opposition forces and liberal reformists will keep dreaming. But today’s investors have confidence in the government’s current direction,” Deputy Minister Abeysinghe said, referencing the growth in the stock market and FDI.
The report also showed that Singapore (47%), Netherlands (15%), France (14%), India (5%), and Luxembourg (3%) are the top FDI source countries.
It further shows that 17 industrial zones are operational, with 5 more industrial zones upcoming. (Islandnews)
