Sixth biennial World Chamber Congress:
World Business Chambers keen on local investing
Anjana Samarasinghe
Business chambers worldwide has shown greater interest in exploring
business opportunities available in Sri Lanka at the sixth biennial
World Chamber Congress which was held in Kuala Lumpur last week.
Director General of Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC)
Azmi Thassim said with the dawn of the peace in the country most of the
Chamber delegations at the event were keen on investing in Sri Lanka.
They inquired about the situation of the country, the business
environment and the on-going development projects in Sri Lanka.
Organized by the World Chambers Federation, which is part of the
International Chamber of Commerce, and hosted by the Federation of
Malaysian Manufacturers, the Congress brings together the global
community of over 14,000 Chambers of Commerce.
The theme for this year’s Congress was ‘Leading sustainable growth
and change’ with a call to business leaders to address major challenges
such as climate change. “There were about 1,000 delegates from over 90
countries.
Business chambers in UK, Germany, Norway, Malaysia and Dubai showed
special interest in Sri Lanka. We explained the immediate business
opportunities available in the sectors such as infrastructure
development projects and tourism.
We also briefed them on opportunities available in the North and the
East as well,” he said. “Some chamber delegations requested us to
organize special visits to Sri Lanka for exploring business
opportunities,” he said.
“Our chamber expects to facilitate all foreign and local investors
who are keen on investing in Sri Lanka. We have special officers who
will focus on economic activities and facilitate these investors with
relevant assistance.
These officials are specially trained with the assistance of the
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is also working
closely with government institutes such as BoI and Provincial Councils
for facilitating these investors and promote Sri Lanka as an investment
destination,” he said.
The World Chambers Congress is a global meeting place for Chamber
leaders to reach out and develop personal relationships with their peers
as well as share best-practice experience and innovation on how to serve
their business community.
This congress was an ideal platform for creating business linkages
with potential partners. HDCC also had an opportunity to partner the
Confederation in South East Asia for developing SMEs in Sri Lanka, he
said.
The World Chamber Congress commenced on June 3 and concluded on June
5 in Kuala Lumpur. |