President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to promptly resolve the outstanding issues surrounding the proposed contributory pension scheme for Sri Lankan migrant workers and include it in the 2027 Budget proposals.
The President gave these instructions during the 2027 pre-Budget discussion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (16), where progress of projects implemented under the 2026 Budget allocations was also reviewed.
Emphasising the importance of migrant workers as one of the country’s largest sources of foreign exchange earnings, President Dissanayake stressed the need to establish a well-structured pension scheme to ensure their long-term financial security and called for swift action to implement the proposal.
The President also instructed that funds allocated for district-level tourism development projects be transferred directly to the financial allocations managed by District Secretaries. He noted that this would enable District Development Committees and Tourism Committees to work in close coordination and accelerate the implementation of tourism initiatives.
He further directed that proposed development programmes in Sigiriya, Galewela and Trincomalee, to be carried out by the Road Development Authority, should be implemented jointly with the Ministry of Tourism and the Department of Archaeology. The President said adopting a unified development plan instead of separate institutional approaches would improve efficiency while saving time and resources.
The discussion also focused on delays in the procurement process affecting the implementation of development projects. As a solution, the President instructed officials to follow the new procurement framework introduced by the Ministry of Finance, enabling procurement activities for next year to begin during the first week of January. It was also agreed to introduce a separate mechanism to expedite procurement procedures for specialised projects, including construction work under the Ministry of Tourism.
Attention was also given to upcoming international events, including the Asian Broadcasters’ Conference, which is expected to support the promotion of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. Discussions were also held on expanding digital initiatives in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Affairs to further improve consular services.
The meeting further noted that no comprehensive report on tourism-related state assets and lands had been prepared under previous administrations. The President instructed officials to expedite the preparation of such a report.
Discussions also highlighted that Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is expected to require a workforce of approximately 800,000 people by 2030. In view of this, attention was given to plans to expand training programmes currently conducted through hotel schools to meet future industry demand.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Presidential Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Senior Additional Secretaries to the President Roshan Gamage and Kapila Janaka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Aruni Ranaraja, and senior officials from the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism attended the discussion.
