COLOMBO – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with the newly appointed Board of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (11) for discussions on Sri Lanka’s economic direction and private sector engagement.
During the meeting, President Dissanayake outlined the Government’s current economic approach and explained how State and private sector collaboration is being strengthened to drive development and support the business community.
The CCC leadership, led by Chairman Krishan Balendra, presented their priority proposals for the forthcoming National Budget 2026, while also reviewing the progress of earlier reform initiatives.
According to a statement issued by the Chamber, the proposals were structured around five broad themes with specific reforms to strengthen competitiveness and growth:
- Trade and Investment Facilitation – Establishing a National Single Window, modernising the Customs Ordinance, setting up a dedicated FTA negotiation team, advancing a private-sector-led investment zone, and creating structured incentive schemes for large-scale local and foreign investment.
- Tourism and Infrastructure – Launching a global marketing campaign for tourism and expediting the Bandaranaike International Airport terminal expansion project.
- Digital Economy and Innovation – Accelerating the rollout of a National Digital ID, introducing 5G broadband, and expanding rural broadband access.
- Sector Enablers – Boosting agricultural productivity through mechanisation and creating conditions for large-scale data centre investments.
- Ease of Doing Business – Establishing a National B-READY Task Force to drive business climate reforms and implementing a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act to strengthen the national PPP agency.
The Chamber also noted that 17 of its proposals were incorporated into the 2025 National Budget, with 14 already showing partial or advanced progress.
President Dissanayake welcomed the proposals and emphasised the Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for growth. He stressed the importance of Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) in key sectors such as energy, tourism, and agriculture, and highlighted the need to streamline processes through pre-approved clearances to facilitate investment.
The meeting was attended by Senior Economic Adviser to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, CCC Chairman Krishan Balendra, Vice Chairman Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Deputy Vice Chairman Vinod Hirdaramani, and other senior representatives.
