Sri Lanka-Canada Business Council concludes trade and investment mission to Canada
Newswire: The Sri Lanka-Canada Business Council (SLCBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce successfully concluded its nine-member trade and investment mission to Canada, strengthening bilateral ties and exploring trade, investment, and allied opportunities in key sectors.
According to the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, held from 14-22 October, the mission was led by SLCBC President Priyantha Chandrasekara and included constructive exchanges with Canadian business leaders, government officials, academic institutions, and business chambers.
Before departing for Canada, the delegation held a briefing with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya to discuss the objectives and anticipated impact of the mission, signalling the importance of this initiative at the highest levels of Sri Lanka’s government.
The mission’s flagship event, the Sri Lanka-Canada Business Forum, was held on 15 October and showcased abundant opportunities for collaboration between the two nations.
Keynote speaker Kula Sellathurai, President of the Canada Sri Lanka Business Convention (CSBC), the SLCBC’s counterpart in Canada, highlighted Sri Lanka’s growth potential in emerging sectors. The SLCBC leadership, including President Priyantha Chandrasekara and Vice President Mohammad Hameez, outlined Sri Lanka’s strategic advantages in trade and investment, focusing on critical areas such as higher and tertiary education, smart and green agriculture, travel and tourism IT and startups. The forum spotlighted the Colombo Port City project and the Industrial Processing Zone in Kankesanthurai (KKS), presenting compelling investment incentives for Canadian businesses.
Following the forum, CSBC hosted a networking session attended by prominent business leaders and members of the Scarborough Business Association, facilitating discussions on joint ventures and collaborative projects.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is currently engaged in a programme to further strengthen the country’s existing trade ties while working on building new ones. The focus therefore is also on developing business ties with foreign countries through promotions like business delegation visits, overseas road shows, etc., by showcasing the expanding economic activities in Sri Lanka and the business/investment opportunities that are increasing in the country. Sri Lanka’s strategic positioning in the Indian Ocean, the strong trade ties enjoyed by the country with many foreign countries and the importance placed on Sri Lanka by several leading economies in the country amidst the country’s ongoing economic activities all indicate that the country is fast becoming an emerging business destination in the region. Foreign businesses/investors while exploring opportunities in Sri Lanka could also look at setting up bases in the country in order to engage with other countries in the region using the preferential treatment enjoyed by Sri Lanka with these countries.
Article Code : | VBS/AT/20241018/Z_7 |