'Country poised for rapid growth'

Local expatriates should return to the country since past problems have been overcome after the defeat of terrorism four years ago, Defence and Urban Development Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told the 'Work in Sri Lanka' conference in Colombo.

Defence and Urban Development Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The Secretary said that many of the country's best and brightest had left the country to seek greener pastures in other countries due to the uncertain situation that prevailed in the country from the 1980s until 2009.

He said that regardless of whether these people left to escape terrorism, pursue higher education, obtain more lucrative employment or enjoy a better quality of life, their departure was a serious loss to the nation.

Secretary Rajapaksa said that it is now time for the Sri Lankan expatriates from all communities to return as the country has overcome the problems it faced in the past and is poised for rapid and equitable growth.

The Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma, which outlines the President's vision for his second term in office, focuses on strengthening 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, educated and productive workforce, and hard won peace, stability and security.

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 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 to build for the future.

The task before 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 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 apparel 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 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 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.

Many of its students have been selected for stipends and awards.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.

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 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 quality of Sri Lanka's human capital. Sri Lankan schools and universities produce smart and hardworking professionals in a large number of sectors.

They have excelled in their chosen fields in Sri Lanka and abroad.

Due to the uncertain situation that prevailed in the country from the 1980s until 2009, many of our best and brightest left Sri Lanka to seek greener pastures in other countries. Whether these people left to escape terrorism, 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.

The Government is keen on creating an environment conducive for knowledge workers and other professionals to live and work in Sri Lanka.

These people hope 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 to attract 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, with the provincial and local authorities, have undertaken a range of programs throughout the country to improve 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.