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.