Sri Lanka needs more entrepreneurs who are the livewire of the country’s economy. The recognition they are given will go a long way in making them world class players, Minister of Prime Industries and Social Welfare Daya Gamage said at the launching of the Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year Awards organized by the Federation of Commerce and Industries Sri Lanka (FCCISL) held last week in Colombo.
The government is in the process of finding ways and means of taking entrepreneurs forward. As entrepreneurs we could do more for the country. We need to encourage our young graduates to become entrepreneurs and not to demand jobs from the government as the government has already invested in their education. By producing more entrepreneurs we could enhance production output and expand global reach as well, he said.
The FCCISL which works for the betterment of industrialists will be recognising the outstanding entrepreneurs of the country. The recognition will give them the confidence to do more and become world famous entrepreneurs. “We will be conducting awareness programs for the entrepreneurs to participate in the awards scheme in a broader way,” President FCCISL Ruwan Edirisinghe said.
“The South Asian Awards are planned for next year to recognise entrepreneurs. This will enable a large number of entrepreneurs to showcase their talents. We hope to raise the bar at this awards ceremony and bring in more participants this time,” he said.
Applications are called for the flagship event of the FCCISL “the 23rd Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year” awards, with the launch of the award scheme. The closing date of applications is October 31 2018.
This long running national award scheme organised by FCCISL is the first and the most comprehensive awards scheme that evaluates local businesses based on a multi-faceted requirements list which include their financial strength, management style, employment generation capacity, technology used, competitiveness, innovativeness and future viability. These awards have also been a pioneer in recognising Sri Lankan entrepreneurs who were not in the limelight.
A unique facet of the wards scheme is its emphasis on recognising regional business talent. The national level awards are the culmination of regional shows that recognize businesses in the all provinces including Southern, North Central, North Western, North and East, The categories that the awards will be given are Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year, Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Differently abled Entrepreneur. Among the criteria that will be evaluated are energy management, water management, waste and material productivity, supply chain management, adoptivity to climate change and innovative and sustainable environment.