Enabling Knowledge Economy and Driving Social Equality. Founder 99x and Past Chairman SLASSCOM . Honorary Consul for Norway in Srilanka
Joined July 2011
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Mano Sekaram retweeted
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka has pulled off a miraculous economic recovery, years after a devastating economic crisis.
Most South Asian countries are designated ‘lower middle income.’ But on July 1, the World Bank upgraded Sri Lanka to ‘upper middle income’ after its economy grew 5% in 2025, outpacing its 3.5% forecast.
The World Bank designates upper middle income countries as those with gross national income (GNI) per capita of $4,636 to $14,375. GNI is equivalent to GDP plus net income from abroad, which accounts for foreign debt. Sri Lanka, with a GNI per capita of $4,670, joins upper middle income countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.
That said, GDP per capita is the more popular global metric. Sri Lanka has South Asia’s second-highest at $5,002 — crossing $5,000 for the first time in its modern history — surpassing that of Bhutan ($4,493), India ($2,703), Bangladesh ($2,597), Pakistan ($1,596), and Nepal ($1,536). Maldives has the region’s highest GDP per capita, $14,615.
Sri Lanka’s growth is especially remarkable because of its 2022 economic crisis, when it owed roughly $51 billion in foreign debt. As forex reserves plummeted, it couldn’t pay for necessities like medicine and fuel. It also halted debt repayments.
After getting a multibillion-dollar IMF bailout, Sri Lanka raised taxes, cut public spending, and restructured its debt. It received $4 billion in aid and credit from India, and saw its tourism sector improve. An all-time high of 2.3 million visitors arrived in 2025, bringing much-needed foreign currency.
“Sri Lanka is a story of recovery. Just three years after a severe economic crisis brought the country to the brink of collapse in 2022, real GDP grew by 5% in 2025, driven by a rebound across industries and growth in financial and tourism services,” the World Bank wrote. “The reclassification is a marker of resilience.”
Mano Sekaram retweeted
In central China’s Shanxi, a residential community has drawn attention for its “rooftop rain” — a mist cooling system that drops surface temperatures by 5–8°C in minutes.
Mano Sekaram retweeted
A young girl from Sri Lanka has won over the internet with her porcupine “brother.”
In one clip, she explains she’s from Sri Lanka. “Senehma’s residence. We are not from Bangladesh but the beautiful village called Sinhapura in Polonnaruwa.”
In the most viral video, which Prabha Silva posted on June 11, you see her walking in a paddy field carrying an animal as her porcupine faithfully trails her. Silva captioned it: “Little porcupine brother going to the paddy field with his elder sister.”
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Maldives tourism occupancy has decreased by nearly 40%, with a further decline anticipated in June and July. Decisive and immediate action is imperative to restore investor confidence and safeguard the long-term stability of the tourism sector.
Deeply saddened by the passing of D. B. S. Jeyaraj, one of Sri Lanka’s finest journalists and a voice I deeply respected. I had the privilege of being in touch with him over the years and always admired his intellect, courage and commitment to fearless. journalism. @dbsjeyaraj
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Today, we proudly rang the Nasdaq Closing Bell as Braiin Limited ($BRAI) officially listed on the Nasdaq 🚀
This marks a significant milestone and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our AI-powered platform — driving innovation in precision agriculture and beyond.
#Nasdaq🇺🇸
Welcoming Braiin Limited [BRAI] to the @NasdaqExchange Closing Bell. nitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1mGPaLVzD…
Mano Sekaram retweeted
If anyone wants to give any credit to anyone for developing the National Fuel Pass QR based system, it should be to Jayantha De Silva & his team at ICTA, Supun Weerasinghe & his team at Dialog Axiata, Shevan Goonathilake & his team at Millenium IT.
Their teams developed the platform within 2 weeks of our first meeting and rolled it out within a month at no cost to the government. It was implemented with the assistance & dedication of many more stakeholders.
National Fuel Pass QR System was introduced last year in August as a mechanism to manage the fuel distribution in the country with the limited resources that was available. It brought stability to the social, economic sectors in a very short time. It was not just a management tool but a great platform to collect actual data & analyze market situations to make policy & quick decisions.
After 6.5 million registered customers & vehicles and over 350 million transactions up to the 1st of September, the QR based quota system will not be necessary from the 1st of Sept for fuel purchasing islandwide as cost reflective pricing formula adopted, governments new policy’s, new retail operators to the market has eased the financial requirements for fuel purchasing.
I would like to recognize & appreciate the dedication & services of the Management & officials of Dialog Axiata, Millenium IT ESP, ICTA for developing the system and operating it at no cost to the Government.
Would also like to thank the President & the Cabinet of Ministers for backing the initiative & trusting the system. The Officials of the Ministry of Power & Energy, CPC, LIOC & its dealers for adopting, implementing & monitoring it. CBSL & Sampath Bank for their assistance. Youth Services, Youth Corps, Media, Police, Armed forces & other organizations for educating the public & assisting in registering vehicles. Dept of Motor traffic for allowing access to its system. The general public for supporting the system & adopting it.
The system will be kept to be implemented in the future with advanced technology for data collection & analysis.
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Turkish photographer Uğur Gallenkuş portrays two different worlds within a single image.
Mano Sekaram retweeted
We’re proud to share that 99x has won the Gold Award in the Extra-Large Category under the ICT, BPO & Related Services Sector at the 33rd National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) Awards a recognition that reflects our continued commitment to engineering excellence and global impact.
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Really enjoyed spending the evening at the Project Roots “Diaspora Stories: Bridging Roots & Routes” showcase in Colombo. Listening to Sri Lankan diaspora youth share their personal journeys of identity, belonging, and reconnecting with the island was both moving and encouraging.
I had a great conversation with Tharaka Munidasa, Founder of Project Roots. We spoke of the importance of creating more opportunities for diaspora youth to engage with Sri Lanka - not just emotionally and culturally, but also through skills, ideas, entrepreneurship, and social impact.
As the Western Province continues to position itself as a hub for innovation, culture, and opportunity, partnerships with our global Sri Lankan community is critically important.
Our diaspora is one of Sri Lanka’s greatest strengths. Building stronger bridges between global Sri Lankans and communities at home will be key to shaping a confident and forward-looking future for our country.
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Meet Xiana, our newest employee at 99x. 🤖 Recently launched to our teams, Xiana is the first version of a visual AI assistant built by our AI and IoT engineers to explore how agentic AI can become part of everyday work.
Read more: ceylontoday.lk/2026/02/05/99…
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Brilliant choice @sanjiva! Our #1990Suwaseriya loss is your @avinya_f gain ☺️ Given the discussion around the ambulance service once again let me publicly say @DumindraR was the brilliant mind behind building SuwaSeriya to become #SriLanka’s most efficient public service. Always on a voluntary basis. Not a cent ever requested or paid. No car. No office. Nothing. Only a dream we shared an a passion to serve. His solid understanding of tech as an electronics engineer and experience as a top telco CEO helped to create the fantastic backend tech company that SuwaSeriya is … unknown to millions. I wish Dumi the best to steer what Sanjiva founded to become an unparalleled service!
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Former International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama yesterday hailed the government for getting the U.S. reciprocal tariffs reduced to 20 per cent, enabling Sri Lankan goods to be competitive.
Making his remarks to Daily Mirror, the former Minister said it was an achievement for Sri Lanka since it was secured without anything substantial to offer for the U.S. in terms of reciprocal trading. He said the other countries in the region and elsewhere offered to purchase a lot of goods, including aircraft, to narrow their respective trade gaps, but Sri Lanka gained it otherwise.
He said it was the result of the silent, pragmatic leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
For more news visit dailymirror.lk.
#srilanka #dmonline #dailymirrorlk #srilankanews
Mano Sekaram retweeted
9 years ago today, we kicked off the first-ever @StartupWeekend SriLanka - in Jaffna.
I was one of the organisers, invited by @sharanyanlk including Robinson B. Prashanthan and Thangarajah Thavaruban, who believed in building from the edges, not just the centre.
It was a big moment.
Not just for us.
But for the Sri Lankan startup ecosystem.
We had no idea where this would lead.
But we knew one thing: we were building.
Have you been part of a moment that helped shape your local startup scene?
I’d love to hear your story.
@ManoSeky @sachisam @chandika @Amithe @shagee_1 @fathhi @SanjanaBandara @anuragmaloo
#startups #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #startupweekend
Saddened by the tragic Air India crash near Ahmedabad .
My heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Tokyo Cement has inaugurated a $25M combi-mill at its Trincomalee plant, marking a major step in Sri Lanka’s industrial revival. Industries Minister Sunil Handuneththi highlighted the role of public-private partnerships in driving progress.
D: newswire.lk/nknu
Mano Sekaram retweeted
Virakesari newspaper in Colombo, Sri Lanka, around the mid-20th century. The image features a building with the newspaper's name in Tamil above the entrance, along with people and a car in front of it. Virakesari, founded in 1930, is one of the oldest Tamil daily newspapers in Sri Lanka. It was established by R. Subramanian Chettiar from India. The image captures a moment in the newspaper's history, showing its early presence and the people associated with it.
#History #Ceylon #SriLanka
Mano Sekaram retweeted
3 Sri Lankans were featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list this year.
Nikin Matharaarachchi - (SM, Marketing & Advertising)
Yanika Amarasekera Siyaguna - (Retail & E-commerce)
Charith N Silva - The Arts (Art, Style F&B)
forbes.com/30-under-30/2025/…
