Manchester boost for Hambantota District

Two Chambers of Commerce renew partnership deal till 2010

For almost 15 years the mission of the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC) has been to be in the forefront of empowering the business community, as the way to enhance the economic prosperity of the District. HDCC develops strategic partnerships with national and international organisations. The Royal Norwegian Embassy has long been the principal partner to HDCC and, in 2005, a new partnership was formed with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) and Manchester Enterprises (ME).

The HDCC entered into an Agreement with the GMCC and ME. GMCC and ME are linked organisations which serve the Greater Manchester region of the United Kingdom. As part of their corporate social responsibility programmes, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with HDCC to provide help and support in the areas of post-tsunami recovery and regional economic development. Since 2005, Manchester Enterprises has split into two organisations, with Manchester Solutions (MS) inheriting the bulk of the staff and the lead role for the Manchester-based organisations in supporting the Hambantota Chamber. As such, MS has been working with HDCC to stimulate the local tourism industry and also to improve HDCC effectiveness by expanding the job placement services, improving member services, developing the Chamber’s IT infrastructure, and supporting HDCC management.

On January 10, 2008 in Hambantota, HDCC and Manchester Solutions signed a further MOU to continue the partnership through to December 2010. Richard Guy (CEO) signed on behalf of Manchester Solutions and Azmi Thassim, (Director General) signed on behalf of HDCC.

Under the new Agreement, Manchester will continue its existing support and, in addition, help launch a major initiative to create an all-encompassing Economic Development Strategy for the Hambantota District. Plans focusing on a common vision are being prepared to organise and undertake the task of bringing increased economic prosperity to the District. HDCC is spearheading this initiative, which is based upon the need to bring together all the stakeholders under a common, agreed and well-coordinated programme, in order to gain maximum advantage for the District from the large-scale development projects now under way and proposed projects in the future.

Large scale projects like the international port, the international airport, the oil refinery, as well as infrastructure development (including railway links, highways, electricity, telecommunications, schools, hospitals and new settlements) have been identified as the agents of economic development and it is proposed to draw up a carefully-planned and agreed programme for implementation, based on extensive discussions with all stakeholders. Consultation and a convergence of ideas is an absolute necessity to make true economic development a reality.

Accordingly, discussions have already been held with key officials of the Ministries of Port and Aviation Services, Highways and Highway Development, Tourism, Industrial Development and Investment Promotion, Vocational Training as well as the Sri Lanka Port Authority, the Central Bank of Ceylon, the Urban Development Authority, and the Sri Lanka Board of Investment, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Asia Foundation, all of whom have the potential to make a major contribution to the current economic development programme of the District.

Discussions have also been held with the Honourable Chamal Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament for the Hambantota District and Minister in charge of the Port and Airport Projects, and he has kindly agreed to actively extend his cooperation and support to this initiative.

Based on the ideas which emerged during these various discussions, a set of proposals was drafted and forwarded to all stakeholders and a meeting to review these proposals was held on 3 January in Colombo. A meeting to familiarise the donor community and agency representatives with the proposals was held on January 4, also in Colombo. A further discussion was held on January 10, in Hambantota with regional level institutions and the business community associated with the economic development of the Hambantota District.

As part of our new three-year agreement, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Manchester Solutions will collaborate with the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce in these efforts. Manchester Solutions has agreed to provide appropriate expert assistance in the preparation of the proposals, in presenting them to all relevant stakeholders, and in the preparation and implementation of the final plans.

These plans for the future - and the ability to tap into the international expertise of partners like Manchester - are the culmination of the knowledge and understanding HDCC has acquired over a long period of time about the needs of the District and the opportunities to aid its development.