Sri Lanka’s Next Phase of Economic Development Will be A Transition to Modern Services: Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja

August 25, 2020    Reading Time: < 1 minute

Reading Time: < 1 min read

The Executive Director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja was featured in the documentary titled “Port City Colombo: South Asia’s World Class City in the Making” where he spoke on the long-term competitiveness of the Port City Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and its potential to become a catalyst for services-led growth in Sri Lanka.  The documentary was part of an article titled “How will sustainable Port City Colombo boost economy and employment in Sri Lanka?” carried by the South China Morning Post. The LKI report, “Port City Special Economic Zone – A Catalyst for Modern Services in Sri Lanka” was launched in June 2020. It explores Sri Lanka’s position as a modern services hub, global and local scenarios that might shape the evolution of Port City, and insights from advanced, services-based, and established SEZs for developing Sri Lanka’s policy regime for Port City. The report suggests that Sri Lanka has the twin advantages of leveraging a strategic geographical location and drawing on the experience of SEZs elsewhere on what works and what does not. It concludes that putting in place conducive national economic policies and a competitive SEZ framework will markedly improve the odds for Port City to succeed over time in the backdrop of a challenging post-COVID-19 economic era.