Fact-finding tour of Jaffna

International Chamber of Commerce Chairman Tissa Jayaweera and Asst General Manager Kumar Goonatillake led a 24-member team including four women comprising entrepreneurs, investors, bankers, construction contractors, BPO, fish breeders, equipment suppliers, traders on a fact- finding tour of Jaffna.

ICC officials with the Jaffna Mayor

The Principal interests were to invest on new ventures with joint venture partners, open showrooms, start assembly/manufacture, bid for private/public sector contracts.

The Group consisted of HSBC, State Bank of India, Associated Motorways PLC, ETA Agri (Pvt) Ltd, ETA Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Colonial Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, Kusuamasiri Motor Traders, Refco Engineering Works, AkzoNobel, Hayleys Industrial Solutions, Tudawe Bros, Embassy Medical Centre Colombo, Colombo Machinery and Equipment Ltd, Consulting Engineers and Contractors (Pvt) Ltd, AEGIS Services Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. Meetings were arranged with Jaffna Mayor Yogeswary Patgunarajah and heads of divisions of JMC. The Mayor highlighted the opportunities available and the support JMC can give entrepreneurs to start their ventures. The Mayor highlighted future plans of the JMC and the shortcomings faced by JMC.

Partner Kusumasiri Motor Traders W G Milton Perera volunteered to donate two hand-tractors to the JMC from his next shipment by which time he would have set up his business in Jaffna to help the JMC in garbage collection.

The Mayor said many chambers and business councils have had discussions with her on investment promotion.

This is the first occasion that a visitor from Colombo had offered to gift an item to JMC. She thanked Milton Perera and ICCSL for the contribution.

The next forum was with District Secretary Ganesh who explained the operational structure of the district with the use of a large map denoting areas available for investment, infrastructure development, tourism and the procedure to be adopted and facilities offered by the District Secretariat for investors in North Province.

Joint venture partners for investing, trading and opening of showrooms was discussed at a meeting organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Yalpanam and the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce in their premises with entrepreneurs of Jaffna which went on late in to the night.

A six-hour tour of Jaffna was conducted the next day accompanied by Chairman Small and Micro Industry of Jaffna/Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Yalpanam/Member Business for Peace Alliance/Peace and Goodwill Council of Jaffna K. Pooranachandran. Visits were made to Naloor Kovil, Fort, Library, Market, Hardware Centres and the Beach.