{"id":155257,"date":"2026-03-20T16:53:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T23:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=155257"},"modified":"2026-03-20T16:53:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T23:53:16","slug":"concept-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/03\/20\/concept-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"CONCEPT PAPER"},"content":{"rendered":"

Draft Submitted by:Dr Sarath Obeysekera<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Positioning Sri Lanka as a Regional Trade & Services Hub through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Background & Rationale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Global economic and geopolitical shifts and looming world war 3 , are resulting in a gradual relocation of trade, logistics, and service sector operations from traditional hubs in the Middle East and other regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka, due to its strategic location along major Indian Ocean shipping routes, is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development of Colombo Port City and the underutilized potential of Trincomalee present a timely opportunity to reposition the country as a regional hub for industry, trade, and high-value services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Strategic Vision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Develop Trincomalee as a heavy industrial and energy hub<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Establish Colombo Port City as a Centre of Excellence\u201d for:\n
      \n
    • Financial services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Oil & gas support services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Maritime and logistics management<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • IT and digital services<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Compete regionally with:\n
        \n
      • Chennai<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Singapore<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        3. Policy Alignment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        This proposal aligns with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • National export development strategies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Investment promotion policies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Neutral foreign policy direction adopted by the Government under Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Economic recovery and foreign exchange generation priorities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          4. Proposal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          It is proposed that the Government:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. Approve in principle the development of a dual-hub strategy:\n
              \n
            • Industrial Hub in Trincomalee<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Services Hub in Colombo Port City<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Adopt a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to:\n
                \n
              • Accelerate infrastructure development<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Attract foreign direct investment (FDI)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Ensure efficient management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Mandate relevant agencies (EDB, BOI, Port City Commission) to:\n
                  \n
                • Promote Sri Lanka as a relocation destination<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Engage multinational corporations currently based in the Middle East and Asia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  5. Immediate Actions Required<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  • Submission and approval by the Export Development Committee of Ministers (EDCM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Establishment of a high-level task force<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Fast-track regulatory approvals and investor facilitation mechanisms<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Launch of an international investment promotion campaign<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    6. Infrastructure Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                    A key constraint is the time required for conventional construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Therefore, it is proposed to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    • Utilize prefabricated steel structures for rapid deployment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Partner with international contractors experienced in modular construction<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Enable immediate occupation by global firms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      This approach will significantly reduce lead time and capture the current opportunity window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      7. Target Sectors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      • Oil & Gas (regional support services)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Banking & Financial Services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Maritime & Shipping Services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Information Technology & Digital Services<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Logistics and Supply Chain Management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        8. PPP Framework<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                        The PPP model will include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \n
                        • Joint venture structures<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Long-term concessions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Revenue-sharing mechanisms<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Risk-sharing arrangements between Government and private sector<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          Minister of finance and Policy Planning <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          Draft Submitted by:Dr Sarath Obeysekera Positioning Sri Lanka as a Regional Trade & Services Hub through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model 1. Background & Rationale Global economic and geopolitical shifts and looming world war 3 , are resulting in a gradual relocation of trade, logistics, and service sector operations from traditional hubs in the Middle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sarath-obeysekera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155257"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155258,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155257\/revisions\/155258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}