Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa met with a delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at his office, where he once again raised the challenges faced by Sri Lanka’s small, medium, and micro-scale entrepreneurs.
The ADB team included Country Director Takafumi Kadono, Senior Country Economist Lilia Aleksanyan, and Finance Sector Specialist Uresha Walpitagama.
During the meeting, both sides held detailed discussions on the current state of the Sri Lankan economy. Subsequently, representatives of small and medium-scale entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to meet the ADB officials directly and present their issues firsthand.
MP Premadasa stressed that entrepreneurship is the driving engine of national economic growth and that empowering SMEs is vital for recovery and job creation.
He further noted that according to the Department of Census and Statistics, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have faced numerous challenges in recent years, resulting in the closure or bankruptcy of nearly 260,000 businesses by 2022.
The Opposition Leader also warned that many more SMEs risk collapse by December 31, 2025, if immediate support measures are not introduced.
He urged the ADB to extend assistance to help struggling enterprises revive operations and sustain employment across the country. (Newswire)