Colombo, Sept 12 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has made a fresh call to foreign investors to consider investing in Sri Lanka as the island aims to become a hub in the Indian Ocean region.
“Its here that you can make your money,” Wickremesinghe told local and foreign investors at the CIMA Business Leaders Summit in Colombo, state media reported on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister also called on the private sector to expand and play an increasing role in strengthening the country’s economy.
“We have a lot more to do in reaching our economic goals and for that, you (private sector) need to leverage on the opportunities created by the government. Understand that in the next three years, for the country to achieve its growth, we want you all to expand,” he said.
Speaking on the proposed investment zones, industry corridors, Hambantota Port, Mattala Airport and Port City investments and the Megapolis plan, Wickremesinghe said the private sector could play an important role in these projects and could also promote businesses through technology adoption.
“If we don’t do this now, we will be nowhere. Understand the advantages before you and go by the comparative advantages. The future depends on technology and innovation. The world is fast changing and in that where we stand we need to question,” he said.
The Prime Minister further warned that if the created opportunities were not exploited, soon Bangladesh would surpass Sri Lanka in terms of GDP per capita, as in the case of Pakistan. “This is the last chance we have,” he stressed.