Twenty construction companies from Sri Lanka and Nepal connected via Zoom for an interactive B2B session, jointly organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Nepal and the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka (EDB) on 21 December 2021.
The participating companies represented sectors ranging from building construction, road development, bridges and irrigation to renewable energy projects involving hydropower and solar power. Accordingly, Master Hellie’s Engineering Consultants, Darington Construction Pvt. Ltd, Sanmal International Pvt. Ltd, Venora Lanka Power Panels Pvt. Ltd, APS Lanka Pvt. Ltd, Sanken Overseas Pvt. Ltd, Sierra Construction Ltd, Landmark Properties Pvt. Ltd, St. Theresa Industries, Eco Power Group, and Laugfs Power participated from Sri Lanka. Amar Construction Pvt. Ltd, Gorkha Construction, Jambudip Construction, Tundi Construction, Rabina Construction Pvt. Ltd, Baibhab Power Nepal Pvt. Ltd, BBD Construction & Suppliers Pvt. Ltd, Himalayan Engineering Associates Pvt. Ltd, and New Technical Infra Pvt. Ltd joined from Nepal.
Giving the opening remarks, Director of Export Services of the EDB Indumini Kodikara stated that Sri Lanka has already entered the global market in the fields of mini hydropower, hydraulic engineering services, roads and highways, green technology and soil & geo-technology. This diverse range of expertise provides numerous opportunities for the two industries to partner in joint collaborations.
The B2B session was conducted for over two hours, allowing the companies to engage with up to seven counterparts in separate break-out meeting rooms. The participating companies expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to meet and build new partnerships, and explore business opportunities. Some Sri Lankan companies expressed keen interest to undertake physical visits to meet with business partners and government stakeholders in Nepal for more productive engagements in the near future.
Thanking all participants in her closing remarks, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Nepal Himalee Arunatilaka emphasized that construction has been identified as a key sector for development in both Sri Lanka and Nepal. She highlighted that the objective of the B2B session was not only to enable collaborations and partnerships in construction projects, but also to encourage trade in construction materials as well as sharing of expertise. She encouraged the participants to continue their engagement in the future as well, assuring the Embassy’s fullest support and facilitation together with the EDB.
The B2B session is a follow-up to the successful webinar conducted on 4 May, 2021 under the title “Collaboration in the Construction Industry between Sri Lanka and Nepal”, jointly coordinated by the Sri Lankan Embassy and the EDB, with industry associations from Sri Lanka and Nepal.
