Prof. Amerasinghe launches ‘Design, Appraisal and Management of Sustainable Development Projects’

Tuesday, 5 May 2015 01:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Professor Nihal Amerasinghe’s new book ‘Design, Appraisal and Management of Sustainable Development Projects’ was launched recently. This book on project management which focuses on public sector projects has had a long gestation as he first started teaching the subject when he was at the Australian National University in Canberra. He taught the subject to Masters Degree students in Australia and also ran training programs for AusAID staff. He then moved on to ADB and worked for over two decades as a Project Practitioner and since retirement from there has been teaching the subject at AIM.

As a result, the book captures four decades of hand-on experience. The book has had very good reviews and would benefit students and development practitioners globally. The author hopes to launch the book in Sri Lanka, where there is a huge need for capacity building in this critical area of development. During his school days, Amerasinghe excelled as a student and a sportsman representing the College in cricket from 1958 to 1961, captaining the tennis team in 1960 and winning colours in both games. He entered the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Ceylon in 1962 and passed first in his batch and was awarded the coveted University Prize for Agriculture in 1966 and thereafter joined the Faculty staff. In 1968, he was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship to the UK to read for a Masters Degree in Economics and Social Studies at Manchester University. On completion of his Masters Degree he read for a PhD in Economics at the University of London. He then served in the Faculty of Agriculture at Peradeniya for three years and was appointed as Senior Lecturer at the highly respected Australian National University in Canberra in 1977. In 1979, he joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the premier Development Institution for the Asia-Pacific Region. He worked for over two decades at the ADB, and rose to the position of Director General of Agriculture and Social Sectors Department, the only Sri Lankan to hold a position of Director General of an Operations Department at ADB.