BOI revamps website to offer timely information to investors

The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka has relaunched its website to highlight the country’s post-war emergence as the most dynamic investment destination in the region.

The website, www.investsrilanka.com, has been completely redesigned both in visual presentation and in content to maximise Sri Lanka’s positioning as a stable and profitable investment choice in Asia.

The BOI, being the apex body responsible for promotion, coordination and facilitation of foreign direct and local investment, a comprehensive and informative website initiative was carried out by benchmarking against leading Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) websites.

“With the end of the 30-year civil conflict, a stable Government and the launch of an ambitious infrastructure development plan by the Government, there has been a tremendous upsurge in interest from high potential investors, both local and foreign. We are keen to provide them with the most updated and comprehensive information to help make them realise their investments as soon as possible,” BOI Chairman and Director General M.M.C. Ferdinando said.

“With the implementation of the restructuring process at BOI, key sectors have been identified, and direct contact points at BOI are being provided for potential investors to interact seamlessly through the entire investment process,” Ferdinando added.

“The objective of the exercise was to provide the most relevant information regarding investing in Sri Lanka in an intuitive and user-friendly manner,” Duminda Ariyasinghe, Executive Director (Investment Promotion and Media), who led the initiative said.

He added: “The key questions being answered are ‘Why Sri Lanka?’/‘Where do I set up?’/‘How do I set up?’/‘What incentives do I get?’ so that an investor can immediately see the ease and advantages of investing in the island.”

To convey the relevant information from the perspective of a potential investor, the website structure/site map has been reorganised, while significantly expanding the amount of information available.

The comprehensive information has been complemented with a more visual depiction of the country’s appeal, including ground-breaking projects in key sectors, emphasising the country’s positioning as the emerging wonder of Asia.

Under the section ‘Why Sri Lanka?’ the website provides an economic overview with key facts and figures, on 10 main reasons why a discerning investor can benefit from Sri Lanka.

Under ‘Setting up in Sri Lanka,’ detailed information is given on the choices available, including detailed site maps, key information, photographs and ‘live’ Google Maps of the 12 export processing zones being operated by the BOI.

There are also separate sections for local investors, services provided by the BOI and BOI publications. The website also provides direct links to relevant agencies and institutions where additional information can be obtained accurately.

The last major overhaul carried out by the BOI website when it launched the Invest Sri Lanka initiative was recognised by the Global Investment Promotion Benchmarking 2009 study. The report carried out by the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) awarded 29 additional points to the BOI “mainly due an improved website that offers detailed, reliable and current data,” the report said.

Under the website, the BOI also operates a job bank, which aims to link potential employers, both BOI and non-BOI companies with prospective employees.

The technical management of the website is carried out by Efutures.com.