- Emphasises on accessing Middle East market
Sri Lanka has to expand its market access to Middle Eastern countries beyond its diaspora community, given that it has the potential in exports when the country is facing a foreign currency crisis, stated Hemas Holdings PLC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and three times award winner at Top 50 Global Professional and Career Women Awards Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson.
She made this statement last morning (7) at the media launch of the Top 50 Women Global Economic Forum and Top 50 Global Awards 2023.
Responding to an inquiry raised by a journalist directed to Wilson on women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka overcoming hurdles in accessing markets, Wilson responded saying: “Leave the gender aside. We [Sri lankan exporters] want to tap into the Middle East market. How do we gain access to that when we do not know the networks there. You are going in and tapping into the diaspora or a familiar place that you know. But, that is not the ideal channel for a person to sell your products.”
Therefore, in order to gain market access by working with relevant institutions of those countries/markets to understand in building networks would lead to overcoming hurdles to market access, emphasised Wilson during her explanation on the matter.
“When we talk from the country’s perspective, there is an external foreign currency issue where we need to get more currency inflows than outflows, and the inflows are the traditional apparel, rubber, tea. Beyond that there are things that can be done.”
Thus, taking access to the aforesaid market is one such opportunity in recovering the current economic situation in the country, Wilson said.
The Top 50 Women Global Economic Form and Top 50 Global Professional and Career Women Awards 2023 is a three day event that is to be held from 15 to 17 June 2023 in Colombo with the aspiration of positioning women’s business leadership at the forefront of the country’s economic recovery. Accordingly, it is organised by Women in Management (WIM) collaborating with Women at Work, a partnership between the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group and the Government of Australia.
The nominations for the awards are open from 25 February till 25 March 2023.