Blake discusses post-conflict development opportunities with Lankan
business leaders
The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and the US Embassy in Sri
Lanka co-hosted a roundtable discussion on reconstruction and
rehabilitation in the North and East and new development opportunities
which are available in the post-conflict era. The event took place on
Wednesday at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo.
Robert O.Blake |
The AMCHAM and the U.S. Embassy brought together business leaders
from leading corporations, representatives of Regional Chambers of
Commerce and USAID for a roundtable discussion with US Assistant
Secretary of State Robert O.Blake.
The companies which were represented were Hayleys PLC, Chemical
Industries (Colombo) PLC, Hatton National Bank, Brandix Lanka Ltd, Daya
Group of Companies and Aitken Spence PLC.
The Business for Peace Alliance of Regional Chambers of Commerce, the
American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka and USAID’s Connecting
Regional Economies (CORE) Project also participated.
The business and chamber leaders told Assistant Secretary Blake that
there have been many improvements in the Eastern region since the defeat
of the LTTE in 2007. Because there are fewer security checkpoints, both
trade and personal transportation have improved.
In addition, the roads in the East have shown a dramatic improvement
in the last two years. The business leaders also explained how the East
has great potential in agriculture, fisheries, tourism and other areas.
However, they said, the North, which was just freed from LTTE control in
2009, is not yet as ready for investment as the East.
Nevertheless, the fishing industry has begun to rebound since the
restrictions on fishing have been lifted and the North has great
potential for tourism. The business leaders agreed that there are still
a number of challenges to increased economic growth in the East and
North.
Worker productivity is low for agricultural production and industrial
production, so there needs to be a significant training program,
especially vocational training, to prepare for emerging economic
opportunities.
The East could also benefit from additional investment to bring
technology transfer and new economic opportunities.
Blake and the business leaders discussed how the diaspora could
assist with reconstruction in the North and East, since its members have
both resources and skills.
One possibility would be to involve the diaspora in public private
partnerships to provide additional educational opportunities in the east
and north.
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