Gabriel Grau, the USAID Mission Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives, emphasized the United States' commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s export growth and improving operational efficiency for businesses and government agencies.
As Sri Lanka’s largest export market, the U.S. plays a significant role in these efforts.
Grau highlighted the United States' dedication to initiatives such as Sri Lanka’s Trade National Single Window System (TNSWS), which aims to enhance trade transparency and predictability, thereby reducing business challenges.
He made these remarks during a recent workshop attended by 94 key stakeholders of the TNSWS project, organized by the Department of Trade and Investment Policy of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies, in collaboration with USAID.
Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Mahinda Siriwardana, underscored the importance of establishing a trade national single window system, particularly as Sri Lanka navigates recovery from an unprecedented economic crisis. The workshop aimed to improve participants’ understanding of the single window system, its benefits, and to promote collaboration and sustainability in its implementation.
Through USAID, the U.S. is facilitating the implementation of the TNSWS, which is designed to modernize Sri Lanka’s trade facilitation infrastructure. The TNSWS will streamline the collection of trade-related information, leading to increased transparency, efficiency, reduced costs, and potentially higher revenue.
Grau reiterated the U.S.'s commitment to initiatives like the TNSWS, which align with the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement that Sri Lanka signed in 2017. The implementation of the TNSWS received cabinet approval in 2022.
