CBF concludes on a positive note

The Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) themed 'Partnering for Wealth Creation and Social Development; The Commonwealth, Indian Ocean and SAARC' was held at Cinnamon Grand from November 12-14.

The delegates expressed satisfaction over the organising of the event and said that it was a successful business forum. Apart from businessmen representatives from NGOs and charities were also among the delegates.

Mohan Kaul

Commonwealth Business Council, Chairman Mohan Kaul said that CBF Colombo was successful.

"We expected 600 delegates but there were 1,600 delegates.

Four months ago there was a uncertainty regarding the CBF mainly over the attendance of some Heads of States at the CHOGM," he said.

"However, the government was keen to make the event a success and finally we held a successful business forum.

"This will help promote the country as an investment destination. There are a lot of investment opportunities here," Kaul said.



 

Anusha Rahman Khan

Pakistan Minister of State for IT and Telecom, Ms. Anusha Rahman Khan said that Pakistan was keen to use the CBF to promote the Pakistani market.

"Our telecommunication market is growing fast and we have 73 percent voice telephone penetration. We are ready to open up our market for 3G and 4G mobile technology and data transmission. We already have five operators and we expect more investments," she said.

"There is much potential for the IT sector in Pakistan. There is a large youth population with IT skills and education. The demand for IT services from the agriculture to the telecommunication sectors is growing fast," Khan said.

"Pakistan has now launched an e-government program to set up 6,000 administrative units. We want to build the capacity of our economy. CBF Colombo was a platform to discuss these matters," she said.
 

Bill Twigg

Apprenticeship Director of Semat, Bill Twigg said that the CBF was a successful event. Semat is a UK company engaged in vocational education and training.

"We are looking for investment opportunities here and in other Commonwealth countries. The CBF provided a platform to meet business delegates from most of the member countries. Sri Lanka has used the opportunity to promote the country in the international arena," he said.

"We see a huge investment potential in Sri Lanka for vocational education and training and it is the path for job creation. This is my first visit to Sri Lanka and I am impressed with excellent arrangements for CBF and CHOGM," Twigg said.
 

Sabur Khan

President of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Bangladesh, Sabur Khan said that the CBF was a platform for the business delegates of the two countries to interact.

"We held discussions with our Sri Lankan counterparts and attended many events organised by the CBF. We decided to form a joint consortium of Sri Lankan, Pakistan, Indian and Bangladesh investors to facilitate regional investments. CBF was a successful and well organised event," Sabur said.

 

Nasim Beg

The Chairman of Arif Habib group, Nasim Beg said that CBF Colombo was successful.

"We were surprised with the changes that have taken place in Colombo. I often visit Sri Lanka and we have business here and hope to invest further. We are one of the largest conglomerates in Pakistan and our businesses range from the manufacture of cement, fertiliser, steel, and banking and finance, and stock-brokering," he said.

Nasim said that to attract investments Sri Lanka has to further improve its investment approval process. We signed an agreement to construct a cement manufacturing plant in Hambantota but the approval of the project was delayed as it did not have environment-impact approval. It is good to have environment safety measures but long delays in approvals adversely affects investments and nobody will wait forever as there are several options for investors, he said.
 

Hiu Min

A Chinese business delegate Hiu Min said that the CBF and CHOGM have given an excellent opportunity to Sri Lanka to develop to the next stage. There are lot of developments in the economy, a strong leadership, political stability and a business-friendly government. All these have created an environment to attract investments. CBF and CHOGAM are an opportunity to demonstrate these potentials.

"I am already engaged in the mining industry here and ready to bring in more Chinese businesses," she said.

 

Ladi Dariya

Head of Communication of Madrinha Trust of UK, Ladi Dariya was at the CBF to promote the charity work of her organisation.

"We support youth with disadvantaged backgrounds to continue their education and help them to find employment. We operate in 25 Commonwealth countries including Sri Lanka.

This is my first visit to Sri Lanka and I am impressed with the beauty of the country and the well organised CBF," she said.





 

Kemar Saffrey

Director of the Barbados, a charity in the West Indies, Kemar Saffrey said his organisation provides housing and employment for underprivileged people.

"We receive funds from the government, private sector, trust funds and the people. We hope to raise funds by supporting investments in fast growing markets in the Caribbean region. You can start with charity and we will assist you to start a business and you will be entitled to incentives from the government such as tax relief," he said. "Our objective is to link Commonwealth countries to the Caribbean market," Saffrey said. "CBF Colombo was well organised and everything was perfect. We had support all the way from the airport to the CBF sessions. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with friendly people," he said.

"We are impressed with the hospitality we received. We think Sri Lanka is an ideal example on how to emerge after years of terrorism," Saffrey said.
 

Sujeeva Samaraweera

The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka, Deputy President Sujeeva Samaraweera said that the Commonwealth Business Forum concluded on a positive note focusing on economic development in Sri Lanka.

"The event was an eye-opener for the delegates regarding the growing opportunities in our economy and government support for infrastructure development," he said.

Samaraweera said that local business entrepreneurs had a golden opportunity to express their thoughts and exchange views with top business leaders from the Commonwealth and non Commonwealth countries.

"The networking sessions were fruitful and the Sri Lankan business community who participated gained knowledge. We learnt of the business opportunities available in the Commonwealth nations," he said .