Investing in a heritage of craftsmanship

• NDB conducts

workshop for mask makers in Ambalangoda

NDB conducted a special workshop for entrepreneurs in the mask making industry in Ambalangoda. The workshop held in collaboration with the National Design Centre, National Craft Council, Export Development Board (EDB), Lakpahana and Laksala focused on providing the traditional mask makers with market insight and contemporary business know-how in a bid to empower them to take the sluggish industry into new heights. 

The event attracted over 50 mask industrialists from the area. A colourful range of skilled creations of masks were also on display at the workshop for potential buyers such as Laksala and Lakpahana that attended the event.  

Commenting on the initiative, Vice President and Head of SME and Retail Banking of NDB Raj Aboobucker, said: “The mask industry of Ambalangoda is a unique heritage of Sri Lanka which is currently showing signs of debility and an increasing reluctance of the younger generations to take up mask making as an occupation.

“We identified that this sluggish growth can be directly attributed to the lack of entrepreneurial knowledge in the traditional mask makers to make their product propositions more competitive in the market place. As a bank that has been in the forefront of SME development, NDB has taken the initiative to revive this valued industry with an aim to regain interest within the market for these products, while providing the entrepreneurs with wider market accessibility.” Through the full day workshop, NDB provided mask industrialists with knowledge on the growing economic boom in the country highlighting specific opportunities arising within the resultant growth of tourism and export segments. The workshop also focused on sharing the much needed business know-how, financial awareness as well as marketing and branding tips to the mask makers.

The event facilitated market access to the entrepreneurs by bringing them into direct contact with representatives from Laksala and Lakpahana who had the opportunity of gathering valuable acumens and significant characteristics of mask making industry from its titleholders. The officials from EDB shared vital insight on how to develop export potential in the mask industry and knowledge on how to pursue access towards international markets. NDB has been a pioneer in SME lending for over 30 years and its services extend beyond financial assistance to provide advisory services through workshops such as this and empower the grass root level industrialists through livelihood development schemes such as ‘Divi Aruna’. The bank has gained vast experience through its continuous engagement with the SME sector and is very well geared to meet the specific industry needs of SMEs in the country. “Reviving the waning traditional industries in the country and creating better export opportunities for such entrepreneurs is a priority focus in NDB’s agenda for SME development. NDB’s initiative in Ambalangoda is the first step of an island-wide program which aims to reinforce identified traditional industries; by widening market access and reawakening interest in such products within the marketplace in order to develop their export potential as well.  “We believe that this can contribute immensely to the anticipated economic boom in the country while continuously improving the standards of local entrepreneurs. I wish to take this opportunity to invite local entrepreneurs to take advantage of NDB’s gamut of financial and advisory services designed to empower entrepreneurs to take on the emerging opportunities in the new Sri Lanka,” Aboobucker reiterated.