High quality human resources, a plus point:
'Sri Lanka ready to become Asia's next knowledge hub'
Poised for rapid and equitable growth:
by Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development
Gotabaya Rajapaksa addresses the Work in SriLanka Conference
2013 in Colombo |
“It gives me great pleasure to address you this morning at the
inaugural 'Work in Sri Lanka' Conference. In keeping with the national
vision for economic growth, this conference explores Sri Lanka's
potential to become Asia's Next Knowledge Hub. Capitalising on its
present opportunities to achieve this transformation would have seemed
impossible even a decade ago, when Sri Lanka remained affected by
terrorism.
When Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected to the Presidency in 2005, he had
a very clear vision of ending the terrorist conflict and bringing peace
and stability back to the country. This was one of the core promises of
the Mahinda Chinthana, which outlined his vision for the first term of
his Presidency. Less than five years into that first term, terrorism in
Sri Lanka was defeated, and peace was won for our people.
The Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma, which outlines the President's
vision for his second term in office, focuses on strengthening the peace
and fast-tracking economic development. The main thrust of the
development strategy identified is the transformation of Sri Lanka into
a dynamic global hub. This strategy makes full use of
* Sri Lanka's strategic position in the centre of the Indian Ocean
* Its educated and productive workforce, and
* Its hard-won peace, stability and security.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa being welcomed to the conference |
It envisions that Sri Lanka will become a naval, aviation,
commercial, energy and knowledge hub. The Government has been laying the
seeds of this transformation since before the end of terrorism. Its
investment in vital infrastructure such as the Hambantota Port, Mattala
Airport, energy generation and transmission facilities, and high quality
road and rail networks have created a strong base on which to build for
the future. The task before all of us now is to make maximum use of this
foundation to take Sri Lanka to the next level.
There are already glimpses of Sri Lanka's true potential in the many
sectors it excels in. Its apparels and garment industry is widely known
as one of the best in the world.
In addition to manufacturing clothing of the highest quality for
leading brands, Sri Lankan companies are increasingly recognised for
design, innovation and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. Sri
Lanka's apparel industry is also widely recognised for complying with
international best practices and being free of child labour, forced
labour, and sweatshop practices. Companies and groups such as Brandix,
MAS Holdings and the Hirdaramani Group are world-class enterprises in
this sector.
The expertise of Sri Lankan professionals is also much sought after
by firms in the apparels industry in other nations. In addition to the
world's first green garment factory, there are a number of LEED Platinum
and Gold certified production facilities in the country. This is a
strong indication of Sri Lanka's potential to be a high-tech,
world-class competitor in large global industries.
In the computer industry, Sri Lanka has produced several innovative
companies and engineers who have developed software used in many
critical applications around the world. Large local firms such as
Virtusa, Millennium IT, WSO2, IFS and CodeGen have developed a broad
range of software used in many fields. This includes software for
large-scale real time financial transactions, middleware for online
auction and retail applications, enterprise resource planning software,
travel and ticketing engines, custom applications to streamline business
processes and operations and even artificial intelligence.
There are IT companies in Sri Lanka which have even developed
software facilitating overseas evaluation of medical imaging for
American hospitals, and battle simulation training software used by some
of the world's leading militaries.
The overall quality and high level of innovation in Sri Lanka's IT
industry is widely recognised, and its future potential is immense. In
this context, it is very heartening to note that the University of
Moratuwa has been ranked as the world's leading institution in Google's
'Summer of Code' program from 2005 to 2012. More than twice as many of
its students have been selected for stipends and awards as the next
highest ranked university.
In addition to these large and comparatively long established
industries, there are several specialist Sri Lankan companies and
outsourced production facilities in the country that make world-class
industrial products and components.
These include companies active in non-traditional industries such as
the production of sensors for automobile airbags and the manufacturing
of yachts and boats.
High-tech industries
It has to be admitted, however, that one of the limiting factors for
further innovation and growth in high-tech industries is that there are
too few high quality universities and research and development-oriented
institutions in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, as with the Sri Lanka Institute
of Nanotechnology, which is a successful public - private partnership
between the Government of Sri Lanka and several leading firms in the
private sector, there is a lot of potential for Sri Lanka to develop
further in this area.
One of the primary reasons for the successes of local businesses in
various fields is the very high quality of Sri Lanka's human capital.
Sri Lankan schools and universities produce smart and hardworking
professionals in a large number of sectors.
These individuals have excelled in their chosen fields, both in Sri
Lanka and abroad.
Due to the uncertain situation that prevailed in the country from the
1980s until 2009, however, many of our best and brightest left Sri Lanka
to seek greener pastures in other countries.
Whether these individuals left to escape the conflict, pursue higher
education, obtain more lucrative employment or enjoy a better quality of
life, their departure was a serious loss to the nation. Now that Sri
Lanka has overcome the problems it faced in the past and is poised for
rapid and equitable growth, the time is ripe for expatriate Sri Lankans
from all communities to consider coming back home.
For its part, the Government is very keen on creating an environment
conducive for knowledge workers and other professionals to live and work
in Sri Lanka. These individuals expect to maintain a high quality of
life for themselves and their families. They, therefore, require a
social and physical environment that is of a high standard. The creation
of such an environment is also extremely important from the perspective
of attracting Foreign Direct Investment, and for the further development
of local industries and businesses.
It is for these reasons that the Ministry of Defence and Urban
Development, together with the provincial and local authorities, has
undertaken a range of programs throughout the country to uplift the
quality of the country's metropolitan areas. The focus is on developing
clean, green, people-friendly cities and towns that will foster an
efficient working environment and a relaxed living environment.
In Colombo, a lot of work has been done in the recent past to address
the many issues that the city faced due to its organic growth over the
last few decades.
The Government is shifting its administrative functions to the Sri
Jayawardenepura area, so that Colombo will have more space in which to
grow as a world-class commercial hub.
Old infrastructure that had been largely neglected, such as the canal
network and the drainage and sewerage systems, is being improved. Plans
are in place to augment and improve the efficiency of water supply
distribution and electricity transmission.
Municipal waste
A section of the audience |
Management of municipal solid waste is another area that has received
considerable attention in the recent past.
Studies are presently being conducted on how to address this issue
successfully in the long term. There are also studies being conducted
with a view to easing traffic congestion in the city, with the
introduction of a mass transit system being seriously considered as a
solution.
Much work is also being done to regain Colombo's former reputation as
the Garden City of the East. Urban life has been rejuvenated with the
establishment of public open spaces for people to exercise, socialise
and relax in.
The quality of the waterways and the Beira Lake in the city centre is
being improved. This will enable more recreational activities to take
place on and around the water bodies, while also uplifting the natural
character of the city. Walls that had been erected in public places due
to security concerns stemming from terrorism have been removed, opening
up new vistas of greenery and beautiful architecture for people to see
and enjoy.
Landmark historic sites such as the Dutch Hospital, the Colombo
Racecourse and the former Auditor General's Department complex have been
renovated and given a new lease of life. These sites are becoming
increasingly popular among locals and tourists alike, and are
contributing to the city's new vibrancy.
It should be noted that international investors and the local private
sector alike have seized upon the many opportunities being created
through these programs.
Over the next decade, the quality of Colombo's real estate and its
skyline will transform dramatically as world-class hotels, apartment
complexes, office buildings and entertainment venues are established
here. These developments and other programs of the Government will help
transform Colombo into one of the leading commercial hubs in the South
Asian region.
It is in fact distinctly possible that Colombo will soon become South
Asia's World City. It will be the dynamic centrepiece of a country that
is fast achieving its aspiration to be the Wonder of Asia.
Apart from the metro Colombo region, the Government has also focused
on uplifting the standards of other key urban centres.
A great deal of attention has been paid to the uplifting of
Hambantota. Assisted by the establishment of the Harbour and the
close-by Mattala International Airport, Hambantota has enormous
potential to develop as an industrial and logistics hub as a result of
its location in close proximity to one of the busiest sea lanes of
communication in the world.
There is considerable private sector interest in the development of
this region as well.
Well-established cities
Steps have also been taken to improve the quality of well-established
cities such as Kandy and Galle. Smaller cities such as Anuradhapura,
Jaffna, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Trincomalee are also being developed
rapidly so that the quality of life of their residents and visitors will
also be improved.
In parallel to these urban development efforts, the Government is
also improving transport infrastructure so that travel time within and
between these cities will be improved dramatically.
The creation of the Expressway network is a key undertaking in this
regard, as is the upgrading and expansion of the railway network.
Through the uplifting of road and rail, and the upgrading of smaller,
regional airports to facilitate domestic air travel, cities throughout
the country as well as Sri Lanka's many wonderful
tourist attractions are becoming much more convenient to access.
Sri Lanka is a nation blessed with wonderful sandy beaches, serene
hill country stations, sprawling wildlife parks and many beautiful
ancient cities steeped in history. There are world-class luxury and
boutique hotels in close proximity to most of these attractions, and
more facilities are coming up every year. Knowledge workers and other
professionals who choose to live and work in Sri Lanka have ample
opportunity to enjoy these high quality holiday destinations that exist
throughout the country. With all of the developments and opportunities
noted during this address and in the preceding speeches, it is clear
that Sri Lanka has tremendous potential to develop much further. The
Government is keen to work with the private sector and civil society to
overcome the issues the nation faces in order to realise this potential.
During the rest of this conference, I trust that you will discuss
ways and means to overcome these issues and to steer Sri Lanka towards a
much brighter future. The nation needs your contributions to thrive.
Together, I have every confidence that we can transform this country,
not only into Asia's next Knowledge Hub, but also the Wonder of Asia.”
The speech delivered by Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and
Urban Development at the Work in SriLanka Conference 2013 at the Taj
Samudra Hotel in Colombo last Monday. |