The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) in partnership with Sanasa Development Bank PLC (SDB) kicked off its mentoring programme in Kandy to reinforce SME business owners and support them to become successful entrepreneurs in the region.
The programme was held in Kandy with the participation of a large number of business owners representing the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) from the district.
Hon. Lalith U Gamage, Governor of Central Province, Mr. Manil Jayesinghe, President of CA Sri Lanka, Mr. Sanjaya Bandara, Vice President of CA Sri Lanka and Mr. Lakshman Abeysekera, Chairman of the SME Task Force graced the inauguration event as the special guests.
Mr Thilak Piyadigama, CEO of SDB Bank, Mr. Chaaminda Kumarasiri, Council Member of CA Sri Lanka, Ms. Anoji De Silva, Council Member of CA Sri Lanka, and Mr Saman Sri Lal, Council Member of CA Sri Lanka, Mr. Sunil Wanigabadu, Vice President of AAT Sri Lanka, Ms. Dulani Fernando, CEO of CA Sri Lanka and Members of the CA SME Task Force were also present.
The event also brought together mentors from CA Sri Lanka and the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AAT Sri Lanka) who will provide small and medium sized business owners the necessary professional expertise to help develop their businesses.
Having understood the important role small and medium business owners play in contributing to the country’s growth, and as the SME sector is recognised as the backbone of Sri Lanka’s economy, CA Sri Lanka kicked off the mentoring initiative in December 2020 to help transform business owners in the SME sector into successful entrepreneurs.
As part of the mentoring programme, CA Sri Lanka will provide small and medium businesses with better access to finance and essential business skills for their long-term success thereby ensuring that SMEs will continue to be an integral part of Sri Lanka’s future journey.
The mentoring initiative was initiated in Galle subsequent to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between CA Sri Lanka and SDB. CA Sri Lanka aims to select and develop a total of 500 entrepreneurs at the initial phase, covering a minimum of 20 SMEs from each district in Sri Lanka.