World Bank MD concludes visit to Sri Lanka

World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Anna Bjerde, concluded her four-day visit to Sri Lanka on Wednesday, encouraging the Government of Sri Lanka to stay the course on reforms for recovery and sustainable growth. She also underscored the World Bank's continuous commitment to investing in people, strengthening human capital, and creating jobs.

Ms. Bjerde met with Sri Lanka’s President and Minister of Finance, Ranil Wickremesinghe, cabinet ministers, representatives of opposition parties, civil society, private sector, development partners, and World Bank project beneficiaries, the bank said in a media release.

She participated in a roundtable hosted by the President with key ministers, private sector representatives, and development partners—including members of the MDB+ platform, which includes Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and bilateral development partners. The platform enables member institutions to coordinate their engagement with Sri Lanka. The roundtable focused on Sri Lanka’s progress on structural reforms, mobilising private capital for development, supporting job creation, human capital development, and regional cooperation.

“As Sri Lanka recovers from a series of unprecedented shocks with devastating impacts, it is crucial to stay the course on sound and timely reforms in order to stabilise the economy while fostering economic growth that can attract investment, generate jobs, protect the poorest and most vulnerable, and build resilience to future crises. But equally important is the need to strengthen governance, citizen engagement, and social cohesion, a must for inclusive growth,” said Ms. Bjerde.

Her trip included visits to World Bank-supported projects in the Northern and North Central Provinces related to agriculture, health, climate change, private sector development, and financial inclusion for women.

“During my visit, I heard about the challenges Sri Lankans face. Skilled professionals are leaving the country, farmers are struggling to cope with a changing climate, and entrepreneurs are constrained by a lack of investment and access to credit. But I also saw huge opportunities to scale up climate-smart agriculture, harness renewable energy, boost entrepreneurship, promote competitiveness and regional connectivity,” added Ms. Bjerde. “The World Bank will continue to support Sri Lanka on its journey to recovery, connecting farmers to markets, strengthening access to healthcare, boosting innovation, pursuing transformation through infrastructure investments, and creating quality jobs for women and youth.”