Global Entrepreneurship Week ends on a high note

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) has taken up the role of hosting Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) this year, which was held from November 14 to 20, the agency’s Associate Chief Digital Economic Officer Sachindra Samararatne said recently.

As part of the GEW programme, a 100 activities which all centred on the themes of unleashing policies, ideas and education took place. Many of the ideas generated were for startups and they will be implemented in 2024, he added.

The 100 activities of GEW programme were carried out in areas across the island such as Jaffna, Kandy, Rathnapura, Mannar and Kegalle, with more than 50 event partners and collaborators.

The idea behind the programme was to encourage the development of young entrepreneurs and to bring their startup ideas to the business sector.

The entrepreneurship week cultivated the spirit of team work and personal branding of these young entrepreneurs through the assistance of the big technology providers, Mr. Samararatne added.

As a part of this programme, a MoU was signed between Brandix Lanka and the ICTA for the funding of tech startups.

The programme also saw the launch of the venture programme by Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC).

With regard to the digital side of the programme, Mr. Samararatne also said the programme encouraged digital awareness especially in digital marketing and branding, and technological knowledge as a whole.

Moreover, some of the objectives of the programme were to develop the in entrepreneurship skills of students and the creation of a social media page. Universities such as NIBM, NSBM, PIM and the University of Peradeniya were behind the skills development activities, Mr. Samararatne revealed.

A Digital Innovation Summit was also held, where eight startup companies were given the opportunity to pitch to investors. The GEW also tried to assist the country’s target of creating US$ three billion through ICT exports.

While the programme began on November 14, actors such as the Industries Ministry created its own programme which was added to the GEW programme, and the Ministry officials worked with entrepreneurs and SMEs. Industries Ministry officials were also given a place in the GEW panel, Mr. Samararatne added.

The programme also had a policy session on November 19, between government representatives of Russia, Canada, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malta. The discussion was on entrepreneurship in a digital era and the challenges that each country faced, as well as the solutions that could be provided for these challenges.