8 June 2021 12:00 am
“The Government’s vision is to make the Colombo Port City a key service hub for one of the fastest growing regions in the world”, the President said adding “We encourage business leaders from all nations to make full use of the unique strengths and many opportunities that the Port City affords by investing here.”
The President made these remarks delivering the keynote address at the Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2021 that commenced today (07). The three-day forum is organised by the Board of Investment, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Colombo Stock Exchange.
The event will provide an overall experience and comprehensive understanding on the FDI and Capital Market opportunities in Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will inaugurate Day 2 of the forum while Day 3 will be inaugurated by Money and Capital Market State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal.
“My Government has ambitious plans to unleash a decade of transformational and rapid economic growth to double our national output from its current level to 8,000 dollars GDP per capita by 2030”, the President said.
“Our unique geo-strategic position, political stability, robust institutions and social infrastructure, educated and capable workforce and high quality of life are some of Sri Lanka’s current strengths. We will leverage on these to set the platform for our growth target”, he said.
“For centuries, Sri Lanka has been a hub that connected the East and the West. With its world class port infrastructure in Colombo and in Hambantota, the country is capable of providing services even to the largest container ships that traverse the busy Indian Ocean”, President Rajapaksa added.
The country is well positioned to be a transhipment and logistics hub for the region. Therefore, the President said vast opportunities are available to make investments in this area.
The Government has taken a strong policy stance in support of healthy, organic agriculture. Sri Lanka will be able to supply high quality agricultural produce to health conscious consumers in the region in the future. Many opportunities for investment will be created in this context in the fields of new technologies and farming practices.