Financial Times

CCC’s annual convention on ‘Economic Growth: Towards National Prosperity’
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said last week that the theme of its 6th annual convention is “Economic Growth: Towards National Prosperity”, with the premier business summit being held on January 27 and 28 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.

The Economic Summit offers opportunities for its participants to learn more about the future economic prospects for Sri Lanka from experts who were responsible for the preparation of the policy document and also understand the role of the government and private sector in implementation, the chamber said. It would be an ideal forum to discuss and make suggestions to accelerate growth in diverse business sectors and the economy at large. The summit also provides the grounds to learn from the experiences of other countries in applying policy changes in Sri Lanka from prominent keynote speakers.

A Chamber spokesperson said that ‘Consequent to the Presidential Elections, with a new administration in place, the peace process and economic policies are moving in a new direction. The intense pre-election debates have rekindled hopes and apprehensions amongst the public on how these changes would eventually impact their lives and the country.

Our Economic Summit would bring together a combination of diplomats, businessmen, professionals and politicians, giving them an opportunity for a thought-provoking forum of high quality, which could stimulate debate on strategic issues in pursuit of durable solutions.’

Achieving lasting peace, accelerating economic growth, reducing poverty and creating greater employment opportunities are the main challenges facing the country at present.

All these factors will be adequately addressed through this Forum, the chamber said. As a compelling priority, the Chamber has decided to allocate one entire session for deliberations on the peace process. Representatives of all leading political parties in the country have been invited to articulate their views, in an attempt to reach some degree of consensus.

“The issues of poverty and employment are of equal importance as sustainable peace. Notwithstanding the unresolved internal discord, the country is estimated to have a growth rate of 5.5% for the year 2005. However, the benefits of this have not trickled down to the deprived and the rural populance and adequate job opportunities have not been generated towards realizing the aspiration of full employment. Elevating economic growth to, at least, 8% and ensuring that the benefits permeate to grass root levels would contribute to alleviating most of the problems being experienced,” it said.

The summit aims to bring to a single platform divergent viewpoints on crucial issues confronting the country. It would afford the business community an opportunity to share its views on these key initiatives with policy makers and political leaders. The Chamber invites participation from business leaders, and other responsible citizens of our country, who feel they could contribute positively towards this cause.

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