Seychelles invites Lanka to tap W. African market
The Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment of Seychelles, Pierre
F. Laporte invited the Sri Lankan business community to use Seychelles
as a platform to enter the West African Market.
"As a member of the Southern Economic Community, we have free market
access to Southern African market, it would benefit Sri Lankans, if they
operate from Seychelles, either through processing or transshipment,"
Laporte said when he visited the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce last week
accompanied by the head of Seychelles Board of Investment Rupert Simeon.
The duo was met by the Actg. Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber
of Commerce, Mrs. Alikie Perera, while Senior Assistant Secretary
General, Ms. Lilakshini de Mel and the Chamber's, Chief Economist Ms.
Gayathri Gunaruwan were also present.
Laporte said that when the proposed Joint Trade Commission starts
working it will help Sri Lanka and the Seychelles.
"We need to set up set up physical committees to make things happen
from either side and that will happen soon," he said.
He said, while Sri Lanka can use Seychelles to target the West
African markets, the latest Economic Cooperation Agreement will help his
country to target the Indian and Pakistani market via Sri Lanka.
Acting Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber, Mrs. Alikie Perera
said," Small countries like us should work together to find and share
economic opportunities".
Both parties also agreed to work together in the future towards
enhancing the new found economic cooperation between the two countries.
Seychelles, an Indian Ocean archipelago primarily depends on the fishing
and the tourism industry. |