If people wish to help Sri Lankan companies, they should buy products made in Sri Lanka and not cheap foreign items, said Founder and CEO of WSO2 and technology pioneer Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the 185th Annual General Meeting of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) in Colombo.
Dr. Weerawarana highlighted the importance of supporting Sri Lankan enterprises to reach their full potential as a driver of economic growth.
“Empower people who have good ideas with the right amount of funding and the support they need, supporting them to compete on the global stage,” he said.
Chamber Chairman Duminda Hulangamuwa highlighted the need for continued economic reforms and political stability to ensure sustained growth.
He said that over the past year, the Chamber has worked extensively on initiatives focused on policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and expanding market access for its Members.
“The Chamber engaged extensively with the President, Opposition parties, multilateral institutions such as the IMF, and the World Bank and contributed extensively to trade negotiations with Thailand, India, and China, ensuring that the private sector’s voice is heard in major economic decisions.
“Trade facilitation efforts include a focus on promoting exports and helping Members explore new markets and integrate more deeply into global trade networks,” he said.
“Looking ahead, the Chamber is committed to leading the private sector towards sustained economic stability and growth, advocating for pro-growth policies and facilitating growth opportunities for Members,” he added.
The re-elected CCC Board for year 2024/25 comprises Chairman Duminda Hulangamuwa, Vice Chairman Krishan Balendra, Deputy Vice Chairman Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Amal Cabraal, Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, Sarath Ganegoda, Supun Weerasinghe, Vinod Hirdaramani and Buwanekabahu Perera – Secretary General/CEO of the Ceylon Chamber.
Meanwhile the Chamber also congratulated the Government in securing an agreement with the official bilateral creditors of external debt.
“We extend our appreciation to the Official Creditors Committee chaired by France, India and Japan, members of the committee, China and the EXIM Bank of China and the Paris Club Secretariat.”
“We also recognise the work of the Sri Lankan negotiating team in securing this agreement led by the President.”
“We hope that this agreement will provide the momentum to reach an agreement with the commercial creditors at the earliest.”
The completion of the negotiations will help Sri Lanka improve its credit ratings and ease the access to finance for the economy.”
