First Northern Ireland business mission to Sri Lanka

Friday, 1 April 2011 01:42 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Thirteen companies and representatives from two universities are taking part in the first business mission from Northern Ireland, to Sri Lanka, stated the British High Commission in Colombo.

Members of the Invest Northern Ireland [INI] delegation will be exploring business opportunities with Sri Lankan companies and government officials in Colombo, from 2-5 April.

It also said most of the companies and the two universities are new to Sri Lanka and are keen to develop long-term relationships in their respective sectors.

Janet Ford, Head of UK Trade and Investment at the British High Commission, who recently visited Belfast to promote opportunities in Sri Lanka to UK companies, said, “There is currently a substantial amount of UK business interest in Sri Lanka, given the Government of Sri Lanka’s plans for regeneration of the economy and the outlook for further growth across all major business sectors. This first trade mission from Belfast is evidence of that. ”

Noel Johnston, Head of INI’s Asia team, commenting on the mission, said, “We’ve been active in South and West Asia for some years and I am delighted that for our first trade mission to Sri Lanka, there is such a strong interest from Northern Ireland companies. The Northern Ireland trade delegation is broadly representative of our most successful industries and includes companies with extensive experience of doing business in South Asia.

“We are keen to develop relationships with Sri Lanka across a range of business activities including trade, technology transfer and partnerships. One of Northern Ireland’s most successful IT companies, Aepona, already has an existing investment in Sri Lanka, tapping into Sri Lanka’s growing technology talent pool to support its Northern Ireland operations and help it compete in international markets. There are clearly mutual business opportunities, and we are keen to build on those relationships as Sri Lanka invests in modernising its economy,” he further said.