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All obstacles will be removed:
'SL targets US$ 2 b investment this year'
Priyanka KURUGALA
Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena told the
Daily News that Sri Lanka targets over US$ 2 billion in foreign
investments, this year. "The country was successful in bringing in
investments worth US$ 1.2 billion last year. During the next six months
the ministry will launch many plans to get more investments to reach the
country", he said.
Further he said that plans will be made to remove all obstacles in
achieving the goals during the next two months.
The ministry will focus on four sectors in this regard. Tourism,
education, industrial development and the service sector have been
listed this year to attract foreign investors.
The minister noted that investments in the education sector had not
been tapped so far. Around 12,000 students go abroad annually for
education draining over US$ 400 million from the country a year. The
minister said that measures will be taken to attract foreign investment
in the sector to establish foreign universities and educational
institutes in the country to prevent brain drain and the foreign
exchange outflow.
He explained that education is a vast sector in which foreign
investment can be obtained. Countries like the UK reject 95 percent
visas of Pakistanis and Indians applying for visas for educational
matters.
Sri Lanka has the opportunity to attract these bodies to the country.
He also pointed out that established educational institutes will attract
foreign students in the region to the country. He stated that Deputy
Minister Faizer Mustapha will handle the sector of promotion in Middle
East, while two other promotional programmes will be launched targetting
European countries.
Tourism is another major field to attract investors towards the
country. Many programmes will be launched centering the Kalpitiya area
to develop tourism in year 2013. |
