Sri Lanka expands Trade National Single Window
The Morning: The Department of Trade and Investment Policies has launched a three-year project to expand the Trade National Single Window (TNSW) by targeting the integration of 18 regulatory agencies for the purpose of streamlining the trade process.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Department of Trade and Investment Policies Director General M.K. Pradeep Kumara revealed that a project had been launched in October 2024 to expand the existing TNSW in order to integrate more regulatory agencies into the system.
He explained that the aim of the project was to increase the number of regulatory agencies connected to the TNSW to 18 within three years.
“This will facilitate trade. With their Customs Declaration (CusDec), some traders also have to go to the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) and submit the same documents again. With the single window, they can obtain everything from one single point,” he stated.
He explained that once this project was completed, the final goal for the TNSW was to integrate other stakeholders including banks into the system in order to streamline the trading process.
Kumara pointed out that at present, Sri Lanka Customs and a few other regulatory agencies had already been connected to the TNSW.
According to the TNSW web portal, the other integrated agencies include the National Plant Quarantine Service, Department of Animal Production and Health, and SLSI.
This system is part of Sri Lanka’s commitment to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement, which the country ratified in 2017.
The 2018 Budget announced an allocation of Rs. 500 million to introduce an e-Local Government application system, automated construction permits issuing mechanism, integrated e-Land Registry (eLR), and 45 digitised land registries, as well as to establish a TNSW connecting 31 regulatory agencies with the Customs Department.
Initiated in early 2018, this was to be based on the blueprint provided by the World Bank to the Government. Although it resurfaced a few times, no tangible outcome was seen.
The 2018 performance report of the Department of Trade and Investment Policies stated that the TNSW and the Trade Information Portal (TIP) were among the key priorities of the Trade Facilitation Agreement action plan, but once again, it remained merely an action plan with no portal launched within the stipulated time period.
It should also be noted that the Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA) required Sri Lanka to maintain a single-window Customs system in order to ensure the efficient clearance of goods and minimise the documentation necessary for Customs clearance.
In late 2019, it was announced that the Government had committed itself to establishing a TNSW to facilitate trade and boost exports by 2030.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic activities and the target of becoming a hub in the South Asian region have resulted in the overall expansion of the country’s economy. One of the key sectors focused by the Sri Lankan government to further develop and expand is trade. Local authorities together with stakeholders are currently working on further expanding Sri Lanka’s trade sector in line with the fast-evolving international markets. These developments have in-turn created many business/investment opportunities in further strengthening and expanding the country’s trade sector. Apart from further strengthening and expanding the strong trade ties enjoyed by Sri Lanka with other countries, the country is also in need of developing the infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities required to meet the growing demand in Sri Lanka’s trade sector. The increasing business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s trade sector are evident by the government’s focus on expanding the Trade National Single Window. Given Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean, the strong trade ties with other countries and the target of becoming a regional hub, Sri Lanka is in need of developing the necessary ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors to meet the required support for further expansion of the country’s trade sector. With Sri Lanka on a steady growth path with an increasing business potential, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the growing business/investment opportunities in the country’s trade sector that promise quick returns on investments (ROIs).
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250304/Z_2 |