Private sector told to take biz to US

By Shanuka Tissera

Newly appointed US Ambassador Michele Sison has called on the Sri Lankan private sector to promote entrepreneurship to galvanise partnerships with US companies and foster post-war economic growth.  

Delivering her first speech since her appointment at the 20th anniversary celebrations of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Sison was insistent that Sri Lanka could expand its human resource potential through partnership with the US.

 “I must admit how proud I am of the people here in Sri Lanka; there is a powerful entrepreneurial spirit taking flight and the private sector is constantly looking for further ways to grow,” Sison noted.



Political and economic development played an important role in her key note address, where she called for both sides to unite and help solve the bigger economic problems.

She emphasised that the end of the conflict had shown that the future for Sri Lanka could be bright; and an intelligent and hard-working work force would help drive Sri Lanka and America to grow and solidify their relationship.

“Training and teaching must be brought to the forefront; if we can train the youth to think outside of the box, then current and new American partners in Sri Lanka can mould the talent resulting in highly skilled professionals entering the market.”

Her remarks come on the heels of a speech made by US Assistant Secretary of State Robert O. Blake, who last Friday called for an increase in transparency and good governance in order to encourage American investors.

He insisted that the barriers posed by Government regulations include “confusing and opaque rules” on bidding for contracts and “unpredictable Government regulations such as the so-called Underutilised Assets Bill”.

Sison opined that the need for entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka was vital and that the strong intellectual property rights that was under watch by AMCHAM was an example of the opportunity that individuals could take advantage of.

To commemorate the mutual benefits created for both Sri Lanka and America to this date, AMCHAM, with the help of the US Embassy, launched the US Trade Show 2012 Sri Lanka held at the Ballroom Foyer, Hilton Colombo, where over 20 key players from the food, technology, finance and gems industry participated.