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The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) has commissioned Affno to build Sri Lanka's official Trade Portal. This will represent a step change in EDB's previous pioneering initiative - Trade Net. The new Trade Portal will be more than a showcase for Sri Lankan companies with the Government of Sri Lanka's (GOSL) endorsement and patronage but also a place to sell their products on-line.

Dr. Lalith Gamage, Executive Director of EDB and Managing Director/CEO of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), explaining the rationale for a GOSL endorsed Trade Portal said, "Small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) will play a vital role as the Sri Lankan economy moves forward.

Even in the United States the economy is not dependent on the General Electrics and Microsofts but rather on the enormous number of SMEs. Our objective is not just to provide another channel for Sri Lankan companies to market their products but also to get them engaged in the idea of e-business and demonstrate to them the power of the Internet.

We plan to set up and manage the Portal in a manner that will provide synergies to the vast and diverse number of Sri Lankan manufacturers from producers of food products to clothing to commodities, components, electrical and electronic products and a whole host of others", he said.

Affno's CEO Suren Kannangara enthused by the selection of his company said that Affno was happy to be entrusted with the prestigious task of building Sri Lanka's official Country Gateway for Business.

The Trade Portal will enable each participating company (referred to as member companies) to advertise their products on the Portal. Visitors would find these companies or their products in one of several ways. To enable this Affno will build advanced search features and also group companies into logical groupings depending on the complimentary nature of their products.

The member companies will be able to track their sales and the status of their orders and will be provided comprehensive reports on the pattern of visitors who have shown an interest in their products. Customised manager tools will enable the staff at EDB to manage the editorial content and the advertising on the Portal. In addition to featuring the member companies the Trade Portal will also be a source of the latest Trade News.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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