The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI), is set to discuss the topic of “Port City Special Economic Zone– A Catalyst for Modern Services in Sri Lanka” on Thursday, June 4, 2020, during a webinar titled “Colombo Port City: Potential growth impact for Sri Lanka” hosted by PwC Sri Lanka. The webinar is scheduled to commence at 11.00am Sri Lankan time (GMT+05.30).
Launched in 2014, Port City Colombo is Sri Lanka’s most ambitious development project in its over 70 years of post-independence history. Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Executive Director of LKI, is set to discuss the long-term competitiveness of the Port City Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and its potential to become a catalyst for services-led growth in Sri Lanka.
The report by LKI explores Sri Lanka’s position as a modern services hub, global and local scenarios that might shape the evolution of Port City and insights from advanced, services-based and established SEZs for developing Sri Lanka’s policy regime for Port City.The report suggests that Sri Lanka has the twin advantages of leveraging a strategic geographical location and drawing on the experience of SEZs elsewhere on what works and what does not.
It concludes that putting in place conducive national economic policies and a competitive SEZ framework will markedly improve the odds for Port City to succeed over time in the backdrop of a challenging post-COVID-19 economic era.
While there has been significant media coverage of the Port City project, there is little academic and policy-oriented research on the possible trajectory of the project.
In order to fill the gap in the literature on economic development in Sri Lanka and provide policy insights, CHEC Port City Colombo Pvt Ltd commissioned LKI to undertake an independent study on the long-term competitiveness of the Port City.
The webinar is set to be an insightful discussion amongst PwC Sri Lanka professionals and industry leaders with free registration for those looking to get involved. For more information, contact Viraine Senadheera or viraine.senadheera@pwc.com
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