Regional Focus
Component 5 : Business-Enabling Environment that Facilitates Growth and Reduces Inequities and Conflict
Overall Objective of this Component: Foster an enabling environment that facilitates economic growth in the target regions.
The Strategies of this Component to achieve the above objective are as follows:
- Utilize the relationships built with government and private sector counterparts in the previous two years to continue to address prioritized policy interventions to create a positive enabling environment for private sector participation in the economic development process.
- Leverage activities being completed under other components to identify and support new policy issues to be addressed.
- Leverage other USAID donor programs relevant to policy reform objectives such as SURG.
Background: The business-enabling environment in Sri Lanka continues to have several impediments to achieving broad-based economic growth, particularly in the agricultural sector, which hinder the development of targeted private sector in the regions where USAID/CORE works. . These range from land tenure and regulation to fertilizer subsidies and frequent changes in agricultural tariffs, to heavy reliance on public sector-institutions to provide value-chain services (i.e. production and distribution of improved seeds), which crowd out the kinds of non-governmental and private services suppliers the USAID/CORE program will help to develop .
Investment Profile for the Eastern Province
USAID/CORE in partnership with Sri Lanka Board of Investment (BOI) has developed an investment profile for the East to provide investors with a quick snapshot of potential opportunities.
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Economic Summit 2010
To promote the regional development on Southern Asia, USAID, in cooperation with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, supported Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2010 which was held under the theme "Facing Global and Local Challenges: The New Dynamics for Economic Development".
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Raising Awareness in the Dairy Sector
Conducted a workshop on genetic improvement on cattle with the participation of public and private sector stakeholders in the dairy sector. Thirty officials from 21 (17 new) organizations representing the public sector, private sector and donor agencies attended the workshop. As an outcome of the workshop it was decided to establish a Dairy Development Working Group to address issues in this sector.
Enabling Environment for Private Sector Participation
USAID/CORE applies a strategy to improve the understanding of local officials on the meaning and implication of policy and on ways in which the government can increase economic development through private sector promotion. A mechanism for policy improvements is the workshop designed for the public sector to raise awareness of the importance of positive enabling environment in the overall economic development process (entitled "Enabling Environment for Private Sector Participation".)
Policy Briefs
USAID/CORE works with both public and private sector stakeholders to mitigate or resolve identified policy issues to support the economic development by creating a business enabling environment in the East. To this end six policy briefs were developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders. The policy issues identified were: 1) inadequate allocation of veterinary surgeons based on demand and animal population, 2) inadequate support by the Department of Wildlife Conservation to resolve conflicts between humans and wildlife in the Trincomalee District, 3) difficulties in gaining access to long-term leases on State land, 4) economic impact on the livestock industry due to the potential ban on the slaughter of cattle, 5) inadequate artificial insemination technical services provided by the public sector; and 6) the lack of a transparent policy in place to access land for pasture cultivation.
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Advisory Board
Members of the Advisory Board had to be reappointed with the amalgamation of Cabinet of Ministers and the reallocation of subjects among the new ministries. Newly appointed Advisory Board is as follows.
Name |
Designation |
Organization |
Mr. Nihal Somaweera |
Addl.Secretary |
Ministry of Economic Development |
Mr. K.E. Karunatillake |
Secretary |
Ministry of Agriculture |
Mr. A. H. Gamage |
Secretary |
Ministry of Livestock and Rural |
Mr. K. Pathmanatahn |
Secretary |
Min. of Agric. Animal Prod. & dev. |
Mr. Mapa Pathirana |
Director General |
Dept. of External Resources |
Mr. K. Mankotte |
Director General |
Department of Agriculture |
Dr. A.D.N. Chandrasiri |
Director General |
Department of Animal Production |
Mr. Asoka Gopallawa |
President |
National Agri. Business Council, |
Mr. Tissa Jayaweera |
President |
Federation of Chamber of Commerce |
Mr. Keerthi Kotagama |
Managing Director/CEO |
CIC Agri. Business, |
Mr. Ranjith Page |
Managing Director |
Cargills (Ceylon ) Ltd. |
Mr. Asoka Hettigoda |
Managing Director |
Hettigoda group |
Mr. C. Jayasuriya |
Executive Director |
American Chamber of Commerce |
Mr. Raj Ram Mohan |
President |
Trincomalee District Chamber of |
Mr. Rizvi Zaheed |
Director, Agriculture Sector |
Hayleys Ltd. |
Economic Summit 2009
Made three presentations at the Sub Regional conference on Local Economic Development for South and South-East Asia on the following topics:
- Key Principles of Local Development the USAID/CORE Project approach
- Policy Issues for the private sector under the plenary session for Local Economic Development and the Business Enabling Environment
- Value chains and Markets
Two key note presentations were also made under the theme of "Dawning of a new Era – Opportunities and Challenges" on the following topics
- Agriculture, Dairy, Fisheries and Tourism sector opportunities for the private sector.
- North-East Accelerated Socio and Economic Development, Economic Development in a Post Conflict Environment, International Experience