Strategic Imperatives for Economic Growth | Sunday Observer

Strategic Imperatives for Economic Growth

17 September, 2017

The Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) will hold its Annual Conference for the 30th consecutive year on September 28 and 29 at the Cinnamon Lakeside.

Each year it selects a conference theme which is relevant and focuses on an issue which is important to professionals as well as the country.This year’s theme is Strategic Imperatives for Economic Growth which is of great relevance to the country in the present context.

The inaugural ceremony of the 30th Annual Conference will be held on September 28 at the Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo commencing 5.30 p.m. Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, will be the Chief Guest, and will deliver the Inaugural Address. Dr. Adil Malia, Chief Executive and Managing Partner, the FiRM, Mumbai, India, will deliver the Keynote Address. This will be followed by the Technical Sessions whichwill be held on September 29 at the same venue. Many intellectuals and senior professionals will attend the Conference.

The sub-theme for the first technical session will be Human Resource Management for Economic Growth. The session will be chaired by Chris Obeysekera, General Manager (Human Resource), Lanka Bell Ltd and will comprise of two presentations. Murali Prakash, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Taprobane Holdings PLC will make a presentation on Key Human Resource Management Challenges and Dharshana Amarasiynghe, General Manager – Marketing & Distributions, Union Assurance PLC will make a presentation on Managing Skill Gaps.

The sub-theme for the second technical session will be Technology for Economic Growth and will be chaired by Peter D’Almeida, Managing Director/Chief Executive, N*able (Pvt) Ltd. and will comprise two presentations. The first on Technology Penetration in the Knowledge Economy by Dinesh Saparamadu, Chief Executive Officer, hSenid Business Solution (Pvt) Ltd. and the second on Innovation & Creativity by Rohan Pallewaththa, Executive Chairman, Lanka Harness Company (Pvt) Ltd.)

The third session on the sub-themeEconomic Development & Political Stability will be chaired by Ruwan Gallage, President, OPA and will also have two presentations. The first will be on New Approaches for Economic Development by Professor Sirimal Abeyratne, Professor of Economics, Dept. of Economics, University of Colombo and the second on Political Stability for Economic Growth by Anura Kumara Dissanayake MP, Chief Opposition Whip and Leader of the JVP

The final session will be a Panel Discussion which will be moderated by Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri, Director/Chairman, PIM and President, IPM. The Panelists are; Adil Malia, Chief Executive and Managing Partner, the FiRM, Mumbai, India, Dr. M. Ganeshamoorthy, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Colombo, Nishan De Mel, Executive Director and Head of Research, Verite Research and Jonathen Alles, Managing Director/- Chief Executive Officer, Hatton National Bank.

The proceedings of the Annual Conference will be published and will be submitted to the Government of Sri Lanka for its consideration. Copies will also be distributed to OPA members and will be available to thegeneral public.

The Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka was established in 1975, mooting the idea of a joint professional body, to cater to the country’s growing need of professional opinion. It is now in its 42nd year and is the Apex Body consisting of 48 Member Associations representing the Professions of Engineering, Medicine, Accountancy, Architecture, Human Resource Management, Banking, etc. with a combined membership exceeding 50,000.Over the years the OPA has grown into a powerful civil society consisting of an impressive list of professionals in various fields, whose outreach is extensive.

To ensure a broader participation,the OPA started the Annual Conference of which the first one was held in 1988. Since then the OPA has organized 29 Annual Conferences under various themes and policy papers were also submitted to the Government for inclusion in the National Policy and Budget.The activities of the OPA culminate with its Annual Conference which is its flagship event of the year.

The OPA holds regular seminars, workshops and lectures for members and the public, creating awareness on good governance and for development of the country.

It also addresses various national issues as well as international issues that affect the country. The Committees, on the other hand, work on various areas covering National Issues.

Thus, the OPA today stand out as a very important Institution which binds together various professionals from a wide range of sectors. 

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