Colombo Port City seeking global operators for university, hospital and school
Daily FT: The Colombo Port City Economic Commission will shortly invite proposals for an international university, hospital, and school, as it shifts its focus from developing real estate to building the institutional foundations needed to attract multinational companies and skilled professionals.
Commission Chairman Harsha Amarasekera, PC said the three projects were integral to the next stage of Port City’s development, arguing that globally recognised education and healthcare institutions had become prerequisites for companies considering long-term regional operations.
“There will be a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a university, one for a hospital, and one for a school,” Amarasekera said at a recent forum organised by the Public Relations Forum of Sri Lanka in association with The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors, AMCHAM and Port City Colombo.
“The criteria will be based on the international recognition of the university, the hospital, and the international school. All three are considered fundamental to the success of the whole City.”
He said the facilities would also serve the wider Colombo metropolitan area by strengthening domestic education and healthcare while reducing the outflow of foreign exchange on overseas schooling and medical treatment.
Amarasekera said Port City was conceived as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) centred on internationally traded services rather than manufacturing, with businesses operating within the City serving overseas markets instead of the domestic economy.
“It is a dollarised economy,” he said, noting that the Commission currently permits transactions in 14 foreign currencies, with additional currencies expected to be approved over time.
That framework, he said, forms part of a broader strategy to position Port City as a base for global capability centres, innovation hubs, compliance operations, and business continuity facilities serving companies with regional operations.
Rather than relocating entire headquarters, companies could establish satellite operations in Colombo capable of supporting business continuity during geopolitical or operational disruptions elsewhere, he said. Under the Commission’s regulatory framework, transferred personnel could obtain visas within four days, allowing firms to move operations with minimal interruption.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s Port City Colombo is entering a new phase of development, creating expanding business/investment opportunities for foreign businesses/investors across sectors beyond real estate. The planned introduction of internationally recognised education, healthcare, and institutional facilities reflects a broader strategy to establish the Colombo Port City as a globally competitive business and lifestyle hub capable of attracting multinational companies, professionals, and international communities. The development of a university, hospital, and school presents opportunities for foreign investors in education, healthcare, professional services, technology, and related infrastructure. These projects are expected to generate demand for international partnerships, knowledge-based industries, innovation ecosystems, hospitality, residential services, and high-value commercial activities. With its strategic location, modern infrastructure plans, and investment-focused regulatory framework, Colombo Port City Colombo offers a platform for businesses/investors seeking access to South Asian markets. As the project evolves from a real estate-led development into a fully integrated economic zone, foreign businesses/investors have business/investment opportunities to participate in building a regional centre for finance, technology, education, healthcare, and global services.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20260715Z_4 |