Post-war investor confab for regional development

In the first major post-war initiative to attract national and international investments to the peripheral regions of Sri Lanka, the Regional Investment Conference, BizPact, will be convened in Colombo in June.

The Conference is convened by the Business for Peace Alliance (BPA), Sri Lanka’s network of regional business chambers.

It seeks to build a unique platform, linking big businesses based in Colombo, with international investors and Sri Lankan investors domiciled overseas, and small and medium scale businesses and entrepreneurs in the regions throughout Sri Lanka.

Supported by Government agencies and big business chambers, the BizPact investor program will be launched in Colombo and supplemented with visits to the regions that will take place from June 25-29, 2009.

BPA has brought together a diversity of untapped potential and the resources which can provide opportunities for the best financial and social returns while fostering peace and stability in the country.

Besides matching investors and deserving entrepreneurs from the regions, the conference will provide prospective investors an opportunity for dialogue on policy issues relating to investment in the regions with high-level Government officials and first-hand insights into the regions revealing the ground realities of the Sri Lankan situation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Board of Investment (BOI), Sri Lanka Tourism Authority (SLTA) Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process, National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) American Chamber of Commerce (ACC) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (ECCSL) are partnering BPA in this conference.

Chairman, BPA Suresh de Mel said that the small and medium scale entrepreneurs (SMEs) throughout Sri Lanka are ready to take advantage of the emerging window of opportunity to rebuild the nation and collaborate with investors using the ‘bottom up’ approach to development.

“The BizPact program is a long-term program designed by BPA. Starting off with the Conference BizPact will provide an opportunity for local and foreign investors to take forward strides in developing the regions of Sri Lanka through joint-venture partnerships with the SMEs in the regions,” De Mel said.