Friday Aug 21, 2026
Friday Aug 21, 2026
Friday, 21 August 2026 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Omani delegation at Port City Colombo, with members of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission and CHEC Port City Colombo
Port City Colombo received a high-level delegation from the Sultanate of Oman earlier this month, in what marks a significant step forward in the strengthening investment relationship between the two countries.
The delegation was led by Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman Adviser for Foreign Trade and International Cooperation Pankaj Khimji and included Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Sri Lanka Ahmed Al Rashdi, and Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Ministry Adviser’s Office Projects Division Director Moosa Al Kharusi.
The visit follows Port City Colombo’s own engagement in Muscat earlier this year, where the Colombo Port City Economic Commission and CHEC Port City Colombo conducted an investor forum and held meetings with key Omani government and business stakeholders, including the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) and Invest Oman. The Omani delegation’s visit to Port City Colombo represents a natural continuation of those discussions, a reciprocal engagement that reflects the growing momentum and mutual interest in building a structured investment corridor between Oman and South Asia.
The engagement at Port City Colombo centred on a roundtable discussion covering bilateral investment opportunities, the Oman–South Asia Investment and Trade Corridor, institutional collaboration between the two countries’ respective Special Economic Zones, and the pathway for onboarding Omani companies into Port City Colombo’s SEZ ecosystem.
Addressing the delegation, Colombo Port City Economic Commission Director General Revan Wickramasuriya, underscored Port City Colombo’s commitment to providing a transparent, fair, and facilitative environment for all businesses operating within the SEZ. He noted that all investors are treated equitably under the Commission’s regulatory framework, designed to support business activity with clarity, consistency, and institutional credibility regardless of the size or origin of the investment.
Sultanate of Oman Royal Adviser for Foreign Trade and International Co-operation and Khimji Ramdas Group Director Pankaj Khimji, delivering the guest of honour address, pointed to the existing bilateral trade relationship as a foundation to build on, with bilateral trade turnover reaching approximately $ 223 million in 2022, nearly double the figure of $ 118 million recorded in 2018, while making clear that these figures should be a starting point, not an ambition. He invited Sri Lankan entrepreneurs and investors to view Oman not simply as a market of five million people, but as a platform from which to access much larger markets. Equally, he encouraged Oman to view Port City Colombo not merely as another destination, but as a platform into South Asia.
“From friendship to enterprise; from connectivity to commerce; and from political goodwill to measurable investment and trade - this is where the next chapter of Oman–Sri Lanka relations must be written,” he said. “Let us build that corridor together.”
The visit reinforces the growing strategic alignment between Oman and Sri Lanka. Port City Colombo, as Sri Lanka’s purpose-built Special Economic Zone governed under the CPCEC Act 2021, offers Omani businesses a familiar, internationally benchmarked platform from which to establish operations, access South Asian markets, and build on the existing bilateral commercial relationship.
The engagement forms part of Port City Colombo’s broader program of Gulf outreach. With over 175 companies now registered within the SEZ and over $ 1 billion in investment secured between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026, Port City Colombo’s growing international profile continues to attract serious interest from across the Gulf region and beyond.
