Monday Mar 30, 2026
Monday Mar 30, 2026
Monday, 30 March 2026 05:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: JICA Sri Lanka Office Chief Representative Kenji Kuronuma; JFTC Economic Affairs Bureau Coordination Division Director Takaki Tanabe; JFTC Secretary General Hiroo Iwanari; President’s Counsel Harsha Fernando; Consumer Affairs Authority Director General Samantha Karunarathne; Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Director General Damitha Kumarasinghe; PickMe Founder and CEO Jiffry Zulfer
During the panel discussion
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JICA Sri Lanka Office Chief Representative Kenji Kuronuma
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The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), together with the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka and the World Bank, convened a seminar on ‘Competition Policy and Law in Colombo’.
The event brought together over 70 Government policymakers and regulators, private sector leaders, development partners, think tanks and Sri Lankan and international experts to discuss how stronger competition frameworks can support Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic reforms and long-term growth.
Moderated by President’s Counsel Harsha Fernando the event was conducted in the form of a panel discussion with six eminent panelists, reflecting the different dimensions of competition policy and law, such as the necessity and impact of fair competition for export growth, the prevention from monopoly, consumer protection, and enhancing effects on business innovation, consumer choice and digital transformation.
With the presence of Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) Secretary General Hiroo Iwanari and other colleagues of JFTC as panelists, the seminar provided a valuable opportunity to learn from Japan’s experience, such as the evolution of Japan’s competition policy and law, its strict enforcement, and JFTC’s role in Japan’s electricity market liberalisation.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu in his keynote address emphasised that the Government is committed to enabling a competitive climate, which would be particularly beneficial for small and medium enterprises. He elaborated that measures such as the e-procurement platform, tariff reforms and the National Single Window are already in progress and expected to significantly improve the business climate.
In his remarks, JICA Sri Lanka Office Chief Representative Kenji Kuronuma highlighted that competition policy is a key pillar for Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and long-term resilience. He emphasised that enhanced competition will strengthen domestic industries’ ability to compete globally and will help the country grow the entire economic pie for the greater benefit of all Sri Lankans, rather than dividing a small pie for each party’s interest.
The event was concluded by collectively highlighting that Sri Lanka’s path toward a modern competition framework requires not only enactment of comprehensive legislation but also formulation of a coherent competition policy, identification of the enforcement mechanism, closer cooperation and coordination between stakeholders, enhanced enforcement capacity and private sector and civil society engagement.
