Incomes for over 14,000 households in the Eastern Province, Anuradhapura District and Moneragala District have increased through business training and the introduction of new farm technologies and crops.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) project Connecting Regional Economies (CORE) has provided assistance for the express purpose.

On December 16, USAID hosted a seminar with the Ministry of Economic Development to review CORE as it nears completion. Beneficiaries shared their results with an audience that included the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, community groups and relevant stakeholders.

Since 2008, CORE has partnered with private sector companies to train and place unemployed youth in jobs with long-term career potential. As a result, youths have gone on to work in tourism, information technology, boat building, manufacturing and other industries.

USAID/Sri Lanka Mission Director Jim Bednar observed, “We see a focus on mobilizing the private sector as the main engine for growth, job creation, and income generation. At USAID, we look forward to continuing our work together to develop the Sri Lankan private sector and improve the competitiveness of Sri Lankan goods and services.”