More forward-looking socio-economic policies needed, says SL Chamber chief | Sunday Observer

More forward-looking socio-economic policies needed, says SL Chamber chief

11 March, 2018
The headtable at the 43rd Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka which was held in Colombo recently.. PIC: VIPULA AMERASINGHE
The headtable at the 43rd Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka which was held in Colombo recently.. PIC: VIPULA AMERASINGHE

The newly elected Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) Chief called upon entrepreneurs to contribute more towards the socio-economic development of the country and to remain apolitical.

“Sri Lanka could be the next transshipment hub in the region and we need to shed all political differences to make this happen. Entrepreneurs should not be divided politically and they should contribute towards the economic development of the country,” the newly elected FCCI President Ruwan Edirisinghe said.

While stressing the importance of the role of entrepreneurs, he said that the country needs more forward-looking policies to achieve the next level of growth in the economy. The first investment in the Hambantota Port should be a refinery. This will develop the port and attract valuable business opportunities for the country, he said.

“Sri Lanka has reached middle income status at present. However, we should not remain at this level for too long. We need to become a developed nation and in this regard the contribution made by entrepreneurs is important,” he said.

The FCCI plans to conduct a series of programs within the next two years to achieve sustainable development. Among the programs are,collaboration with the NGOs to obtain projects and build active relationships to be a partner in their development work and a membership drive to attract more members to the Chamber, which looks forward to contribute significantly to the country’s forward march. “The Chamber will increase its stake and presence at international fora such as SAARC CCI, formation of APTA CCI, BIMSTEC and Silk Road Chamber. We also plan to increase our income through trade facilitation and mega events such as taking part in trade fairs in China, India and Korea and organising mega events such as SAARC trade fair and investment forum. “We will actively look for partnerships with donor agencies for the benefit of the Chamber,” he said. The FCCI has already one donor partnership with skills for inclusive growth funded by the Sri Lanka Australia Foundation. The FCCI which has 62 regional and national chambers will help, build and nurture its member chambers.It will organise a Chamber development day every month for the Chambers and also conduct road shows.

The FCCI plans to carry out its two-year program efficiently which is aimed at developing the agriculture, industry and trading sectors. The chamber activities will mainly focus on holistic development of the regional and national chambers.

“As we expect that the most strongest countries to emerge from Asia within the next two decades, Sri Lanka needs to be ready to face the challenges of development in the future. This will also bring a lot of opportunities to the country. We need to push the national and regional Chambers to the next level to be prepared to accept the modern world. Our economy could be

developed to the level of Singapore or Dubai,” Edirisinghe said.

“One of our prime aims is to build a Chamber House within the next two years. For this, we need to purchase a block of land in Colombo. All the Chambers could house their head offices in this building. Colombo has become one of the fastest growing cities in the world. There are many 60,70, 80 and 100-storied buildings in the city,” he said..

With the increase in population the country, needs more apartment type houses, he said.

“Sri Lanka needs to be more investor-friendly and attract more investments by providing the necessary facilities. As we have a booming tourism industry, it is vital to have a budget airline to bring in more tourists to the country. We should consider this factor seriously,” he said.

The FCCI will further strengthen the corporate governance model. It has an advisory board, finance committee, risk and sustainability committee and PR committee to achieve this goal. The Chamber will actively look forward for sponsorships and strategic partnerships to carry out its ambitious two-year programs effectively. It will also set up a sustainable business model for the Chamber to take it to the next level. 

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