President urges private capital push in talks with Lord Marland

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake with Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council Head Lord Marland of Odstock during their meeting in Colombo earlier this week

• Discusses potential of Colombo Port City to become in South Asia what City of London Corporation is to Europe
• Says Sri Lanka not asking for aid but high-quality Commonwealth investments into bankable, economically impactful ventures
• Urges CWEIC Chair Lord Marland to help Sri Lanka diversify into new markets
• Lord Marland recalls longstanding association with Sri Lanka, pledges to support economic revival 
• Draws on experience as UK’s Energy and Climate Change Minister, where he advanced large-scale private capital mobilisation for low-carbon and resilient energy infrastructure
• Stresses importance of regulatory certainty and well-structured public-private partnerships in delivering sustainable, climate-aligned development

Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Chairman Lord Marland of Odstock this week held discussions with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on advancing multilateral trade and strengthening private capital flows into Sri Lanka.

The CWEIC is the principal business network of the 56 member States of the Commonwealth, dedicated to promoting trade, investment, and sustainable economic growth across the Commonwealth.

President Dissanayake and Lord Marland discussed opportunities and the potential for Port City to become in South Asia what the ‘City of London Corporation’ is to Europe, and to work collaboratively with well-established financial centres such as Dubai and Singapore to deepen regional capital markets and trade connectivity.

President Dissanayake called for high-quality investment in priority sectors to boost Sri Lanka’s exports and value addition, while ensuring the transfer of technology.

“Sri Lanka is not asking for aid. We are asking you to help us attract Commonwealth private capital to specific bankable and economically impactful projects,” the President said during his talks with Lord Marland on Tuesday.

“Priority sectors such as tourism, infrastructure, and the digital economy need private capital, while macroeconomic data show recovery, poverty, and inequality remain a significant challenge.”

The President stressed the need for capital inflows to create jobs and empower the vulnerable.

Given uncertainties in global trade, President Dissanayake also urged Lord Marland to help Sri Lanka diversify into new markets.

The President noted that the CWEIC could serve as a valuable platform to facilitate connections between Sri Lankan enterprises and international investors, buyers, and supply chains across key sectors, including services, agriculture, apparel, IT, and logistics. 

He observed that Sri Lanka would welcome engagement with the CWEIC’s network to share international best practice in areas such as transparency, regulatory certainty, and the structuring of effective public-private partnership frameworks.

Lord Marland recalled his longstanding association with Sri Lanka and pledged support for the country’s economic revival under the leadership of President Dissanayake.

Referring to the recent damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, initially estimated at $ 4.1 billion, the President stressed that future investments must be designed to be climate-resilient and disaster-tolerant. 

In this context, Lord Marland drew on his experience as Energy and Climate Change Minister, where he was involved in advancing large-scale private capital mobilisation for low-carbon and resilient energy infrastructure, underscoring the importance of regulatory certainty and well-structured public-private partnerships in delivering sustainable, climate-aligned development.

“What we need is not just repair, but the building of resilient infrastructure and disaster-adaptive systems,” President Dissanayake said.