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Monday, 25 March 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Charumini de Silva
The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) presented the best of its construction products and solutions in its first-ever country pavilion at the housing and construction expo ‘Build SL 2019’, held over the weekend at the BMICH, Colombo.
The German pavilion was officially opened by Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama along with AHK Sri Lanka Chief Delegate Andreas Hergenroether and Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Chargé d’Affaires Andreas Berg last Friday (22 March). German Pavilion was the largest country pavilion at this year’s expo, and focused a lot on future topics, such as energy efficiency in buildings, intelligence and smart solutions. It will house 18 companies, representing top German brands in Sri Lanka with a wide variety of products and solutions.
Speaking at the German-Sri Lankan conference themed ‘The Future of Construction of Buildings’, Minister Samarawickrama congratulated the Chamber of Construction Industry of Sri Lanka that continues to give leadership to this very important sector as well as the AHK for putting together the German country pavilion for yet another ground-breaking initiative to forge partnerships between German and Sri Lankan industries.
“The best of Germany really is on display here at this trade fair, and I encourage our private sector to explore productive partnerships with German companies in order to elevate the level of quality, precision, and environmental sustainability of our construction industry,” he said.
He also said that German companies are well-recognised globally for their quality and innovation. “It is a well-acknowledged fact that they are of a higher standard and contribute a lot to the advancement of technology around the world. Given this stellar reputation of German companies, I am very happy to be associated with today’s event, and I want to thank AHK for inviting me to be part of it,” the Minister said. Having been trained in Hamburg, Germany, in Samarawickrama’s early years, he said he was fortunate to get experience first-hand ‘the German way’.
“I was impressed with their attention to detail and became well aware of the high quality and innovation that German companies bring to the world. We in Sri Lanka want to benefit from this more and more,” he added.
As the Government reorients the Sri Lankan economy towards a more private sector and outward oriented economy, the Minister said they look forward to close engagement with top German companies to join Sri Lanka on this journey.
“Given the strong role that the construction industry plays in Sri Lanka’s growth, having German presence at Build SL – the industry’s premier trade show – is an important occasion indeed. In the relatively brief time that you have been established in Sri Lanka, under the leadership of Andreas, you have been able to truly make a mark on enriching Sri Lanka-Germany trade and investment relations,” he pointed out.
The Minister also acknowledged that he was very encouraged to learn about the discussion forums which focused on topics like sustainable planning and architecture, green construction materials, energy efficient and smart buildings; all very relevant for Sri Lanka, as the country aims to forge a more sustainable and eco-friendly growth path.
He noted that Sri Lanka was one of the early signatories to the UN’s ‘2030 Sustainable Development Goals’ and one of the first countries to launch a Roadmap for Sustainable Growth, chaired by the President.
