The Deputy Minister of Highways, Higher Education and Investment Promotion, Eran Wickramaratne, led a delegation to Singapore from 11th to 14th February 2015 to participate in a series of events aiming at promoting Singaporean investment in Sri Lanka, organized by the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Bank of Mizuho, Singapore.
The other members of the delegation from the BOI included Mrs. Renuka Weerakoon, Executive Director, Mr. Mahinda Ramanayake, Director (Investor Services) and Mr. Manilal Ranasinghe, Deputy Director/Desk Officer for Singapore.
In his keynote address, to the Investment Seminar on 13th February, Deputy Minister Wickramaratne said that in the first three months of office, the new government in Sri Lanka intends to put in place a framework to ensure that confidence will return and business will be able to operate without political interference. The Deputy Minister emphasized that future economic growth will be driven by foreign direct investment. He pointed out that Sri Lanka has many skilled people in the areas of technology and that Sri Lanka was open to other areas of investment as well. He further stated that the new government will continue some of the projects particularly roads and highways and that the only difference will be that the government will be doing business in a transparent way.
During his visit, Deputy Minister Wickramaratne attended a high profile business meeting with members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce which was organized by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore. The participants expressed their keenness in investing in Sri Lanka in the near future in Logistics and Process Outsourcing Services, Real Estate, Technology Investment, Apparel Manufacturing, Construction, Engineering Industry, Infrastructure, Agriculture MICE Tourism and Retail Industries.
Mr Vipulatheja Wishwanath Aponsu, Acting High Commissioner and Ms Redha Mallikarachchi, Second Secretary also participated in the meeting.
The Deputy Minister attended several investment promotion events organized by Mizuho Bank Ltd on 13th February at Westin Hotel followed by networking sessions arranged by APL Logistics, Toshiba Company, Japanese Chamber of Commerce (Singapore Branch) B.P. De Silva Group and Altair – Iconic Development in Colombo, Sri Lanka, during which he met several Singaporean investors and Sri Lankan investors based in Singapore.
Sri Lanka High Commission
Singapore
14th February 2015
